


Heart of A Dragon

by blueroanmare



Category: Jurassic Park (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Being Lost, Dinosaurs, Gen, T-Rex - Freeform, Telepathy, Velociraptors, Wilderness Survival, brachiosaur, will add more as I think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:31:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueroanmare/pseuds/blueroanmare
Summary: Eve gets in a plane crash on one of the Jurassic Park islands. Fortunately for Eve, she has a very special gift...an ability to speak to animals. Will this help her survive the island of dragons?





	1. Lost

Genevieve Castillo, known to her friends as Eve, was flying in a plane with her best friend Lucy. Lucy had just gotten her pilot licence and had her father’s permission to fly his light plane out. They had both graduated from college and were now taking some much needed time off before looking for jobs. Eve reveled in the freedom of flying like a bird through the sky. She shouted with glee, and Lucy responded with a grin. They were flying high, and both girls had a plan. They both lived in Mexico City, and they wanted to see Costa Rica. Well, one specific part of Costa Rica. Once they got there, they’d touch down at an airport, refill, then fly off to see a very secret island off the Costa Rican coast. Although the islands were off limits, the girls were sure that it wasn’t patrolled _that_ closely. This was the Costa Rican government you were talking about, after all. A few hours later, they were pumped as they winged their way over the ocean, not taking a direct flight there, just to throw off anyone who might be following. After a while, Eve started searching with her binoculars. _Was that a pinprick of green?_ She pointed in that direction and Lucy steered the craft there. Soon enough, it was apparent Eve was right. There were islands there, but were they the right ones? As they neared the lush emerald island, their radio came to life. “ _Su aeronave ha ingresado a un espacio aéreo restringido. Por favor, irse de inmediato. Your aircraft has entered a restricted airspace. Please leave immediately._ ” 

Lucy hurried turned it off. She shouted to Eve, “We’ll just whip around the islands once or twice. Keep your camera handy!” Eve nodded and dug it out of her backpack. Lucy expertly guided the plane low to the tree cover and Eve took up station at the window, peering down into the leafy canopy. “You’re going to have to find a clearing!” She yelled over the noise of the airplane. Lucy pointed ahead, “There’s one! Get ready!” They flew over a yellow green field of grass. Suddenly animals were visible. Eve gaped at some long necked dinosaurs, then saw a family of frilled dinosaurs, horns spiking out of their foreheads. She quickly snapped shot after shot, hoping at least one came out. The clearing passed all too quickly, but Lucy grinned and gave Eve a thumbs up. She lifted the aircraft higher in preparation for circling. Eve pointed at a foreboding cloud, “Should we be worried about that?” Lucy shrugged, “I’ll get us out of here before the storm breaks.”

Unfortunately for Lucy, she underestimated the power of the wind shears. She struggled to maintain control as the plane nearly went completely sideways. Eve dropped the camera and hung on for dear life. The storm came up far faster than they had ever seen a storm in Mexico, and they had seen some doozies. Lucy fought with the plane as it was battered by rain suddenly and lightning flashed. The plane was hit, not once, but several times. Eve knew that the plane would protect them from the lightning, but she also knew it wouldn’t help trying to control the thing. Just as it seemed that Lucy had things together again, the biggest wind shear of all threw the plane into a spiral. Both girls screamed as Lucy lost complete control. The trees were coming up awfully fast. “Hang on!!” Lucy yelled at Eve. 

**CRASH!**

*************************************  
Eve woke up slowly. Why did she feel like she had been run over by a truck? She opened her eyes. _Or yet, fallen out of the sky..._ Eve sat up carefully and wiggled all her fingers and toes. Everything seemed intact somehow. But she was sure she was going to have the mother of all of bruises all over her body. _Wait...where was Lucy?_ Panicking, she jumped up, only to realize she was in fact tangled in vines. Now she saw that a large and very leafy tree had somehow broken her fall from the plane, which was in pieces all over the place. She needed to find Lucy, right now. Carefully extricating herself out of her leafy prison, she stepped around a smoking piece of plane. She searched for sometime before finally finding the body of Lucy. Eve gasped as she saw a short rod from the plane impaled through Lucy’s body, mercifully killing her instantly. No...her friend couldn’t be dead! Eve ran over and shook Lucy in a vain hope of waking her. Seeing that there was nothing to be done, Eve hid her face in her hands and cried. Finally, she was all cried out. She must bury the body of her friend. The ground was soft enough, so she took a piece of broken board to use as a shovel and started digging. 

An hour later, Lucy was buried. Eve was drained of tears and just felt exhausted. She knew she must find shelter. A distant roar drew her attention. Yes, shelter, away from animals, even if they were friendly. Eve had never even told Lucy her biggest secret. Now she wished she had, but it was too late. Eve had a special gift. She could communicate with animals. If she listened hard enough, she knew what they said, and she was able to respond back to them. Eve had no idea if this would even work with dinosaurs but she didn’t feel like finding out right away. At the moment, she needed time alone by herself, to get herself together. Eve found her backpack and gratefully started gathering supplies that she might need. They hadn’t packed much, because they had been supposed to be back before nightfall in Mexico City. But Lucy always packed a first aid kit plus extra bottles of water, just in case. Eve found those and put them in her backpack. She heard a chirrup close by and decided to move quickly. Eve looked back the plane and Lucy’s grave one last time before disappearing into the jungle. 

She hiked a way into the trees, not caring what direction she was going in. She knew she was on Isla Nublar, but where exactly on the damned island she was, she didn’t know. Or care. As long as she found shelter, that was all that mattered. Eventually Eve arrived at an area with lots of rocks among the jungle fronds. It looked promising so Eve looked more closely. Sure enough, there was a small cave hidden among the rocks. Eve crawled through the narrow opening, hoping it was bigger on the inside than the outside. In fact, it was quite spacious, perfect for hiding. She reached outside and pulled her pack inside her new home. _Quark, chirrup?_ Eve glanced up. There was a little shadow at the opening of her cave. _Oh, did I take someone’s home?_ The little dinosaur hopped inside, cautiously. Eve tried to remember what this one would be, but then she remembered it was a Compsognathus. Deciding that was too much of a mouthful, she knew the small creature as a compy. The little thing quarked at her again. _Hello?_ It was saying. Eve smiled. So her gift did work with dinosaurs! That would be a big help. _Hello?_ The compy said again. Eve answered, _Hello there. Did I take your home?_ The compy cocked his slender head, trying to decide whether she was friend or enemy. Finally the little one sent out a friendly vibe, _No. Just hungry._ Eve giggled, _Well, I am not food. You’re welcome to stay as long as you don’t try to eat me._ The compy jumped inside and sniffed her all over. Deciding she was right, the large strange creature wasn’t dangerous, but there was no food here, the compy quarked again, and left. Eve smiled at the encounter, but feeling exhaustion overtake her, she slept.

She woke early the next morning, groggy and confused. Sitting up too quickly, she bumped her head and yelped. Eve rubbed her head, then realized she was sitting in a cave. The events of the previous day came crashing down on her again, and she cried quietly for Lucy again. She wished her parents were there, but then soon stopped. It was no point feeling sorry for oneself. The next order of business was to find food and explore the island. Since she could obviously talk to the dinosaurs, she had to find someplace safe where they accepted her. Eve logically thought the plant-eaters would be safe, because the meat-eaters, well, ate meat. And she didn’t want to end up dinner. She had no idea what they’d think of her, even if she could talk to them.

Eve shook the dirt of herself and set out. The sun had already risen, so she headed into the forest. She stopped after a while to listen. She could hear something, but it was still faint. She carefully pinpointed the direction of the sound and went cautiously there. Now it was quite a clear howling sound. What on earth was that? At last, a small clearing opened up, and she saw a group of dinosaurs. Stegosaurus! She was amazed at the large creatures that were somehow so graceful. Their sails moved gently as they moved and they howled to each other. Since Eve could understand their language, she understood that it was to check that the herd was all together, and passing along information. She went down to see if they might like her. She clambered down the slight drop to get to the Stegosaurus herd. A large emerald male saw her and howled threateningly. _This is my herd! Do not approach!_ Eve called to the male, _I am no threat. I am friendly._ He rose up slightly and stomped his front feet, just like a skunk in warning, _Two-legger! Danger!_ She tried again, _No, I’m not dangerous. I want to be friends with you._ She saw the rest of the herd looking at her nervously and gathering the calves into the centre of the herd as they moved along. The male approached and swung his spiked tail at her. Obviously this was getting nowhere. She took the hint and moved on.

She wandered down to a lake she could see in the distance. She knew bodies of water were perfect for animal gatherings, so she thought she’d try her luck there. As she passed through the waving grass, she heard the thunder of feet. Eve stopped to look around, and saw a group of ostrich-like dinosaurs running. They were beautiful to see. They made cute little sounds to each other, and Eve knew they were running just for the sheer joy of it. She tried to make contact with them, but they were too busy running. Eve thought it was just as well. These dinosaurs were too quick for her to follow anyway. She stopped to dig around in her backpack...she’d put in a dinosaur book for the flight. Aha, here it was, that kind was called Gallimimus. 

Eve kept walking toward the water when she heard more moaning sounds. Now what is that? She looked and saw movement in the trees. Quickly she ducked down into the grass in case it was a predator hiding. Although a second later she knew that was stupid because a predator would be quiet instead of making all that noise. In a minute she saw large shapes move out of the trees. The animals walking out reminded her of Triceratops, but not quite. True, they did have frills, but instead of two brow spikes and one small one like Trikes, these dinosaurs had large spikes that framed the frills and one huge nose spike. Eve scrunched up her head in thought. _Sty something, isn’t it? Yes, I remember! Styracosaurus!_ Eve felt pleased with herself. She could talk to these guys. Cautiously, remembering the male Stegosaurus, she approached the herd. The largest Styracosaurus looked at her but kept walking. Obviously they were thirsty. She followed them, the cows looking at her, but saying nothing. They went to the water, and drank deeply. The young ones Eve giggled at. They were too small to drink water, so they tried to push each other around, their tiny nubs of spikes barely doing anything. She quietly hung near the herd, waiting for them to finish drinking. Obviously this was the priority now. 

When the large dinosaurs finally finished, they spread out to graze. This was a good sign. They weren’t taking Eve as a threat. She came closer, and sent out a thought to a nearby cow Styracosaurus, _Hello, how is the grass?_ The cow jerked her head up and looked around. Eve kept talking, _It’s me, over here. Can you hear me?_ The cow finally located her and answered, _Yes. Go away._ Eve tried again, _I need help. I’d like to join you._ The cow was about to answer when the big male, hearing the conversation, came over. He didn’t look happy. He snorted and looked at Eve. _A two-legger! Go away!_ Eve wondered what was with all this “two-legger” stuff. She answered, _I’m not dangerous. Please let me stay._ The male shook his head and Eve had a sudden thought of how big those horns were. The male again said, _No two-leggers in my herd._ He turned and lumbered away, his cows and calves following him. No one said another word to Eve. 

_This is getting ridiculous_ , she thought. _Fine, I’ll try somewhere else._ She went around the lake and kept walking, also keeping an eye out for a suitable spot to spend the night if she didn’t get into a herd. Eve looked up. Was that thunder? It didn’t sound quite right. She walked around the stand of trees that obscured her view. Oh, now that made sense. She gasped in awe at the Brachiosaurus herd there. They towered up into the treetops, and when they moved their feet made a thundering noise. She went closer. She sent a thought up to them, _Hello up there!_ The closest dinosaur flicked his head around and looked at her closest neighbour. Obviously, she could hear Eve, but did Brachiosauruses look down often? They were like giraffes, she thought, so they really should. The Brach walked to another tree, and Eve tried again with no success. She watched as two young males...still immensely huge...broke away from the herd. They started smacking each other with their necks, much as giraffes do. They bumped each other and ran a little ways. Eve had to run out of there...she was going to get trampled! She managed to get to safety in the trees and caught her breath. _Note to self: Brachiosauruses don’t look down too much._ Now what? She had really hoped to join a herd of dinosaurs. She could keep trying but the chances were plummeting down.

_Huff?_ Eve spun at the noise. She felt eyes watching her. Another little noise off to the right. What was it? Eve instinctively knew to be very still. She could see a long nose poking out of the bushes. The animal walked forward...on two legs. With a barely concealed gasp, Eve recognized this is as a raptor. She threw a thought to it, _Please don’t eat me!_

The raptor cocked her head, and Eve saw another poke its head out too. The raptor’s mate. They circled her curiously, until the female growled, _You speak our language? You are not a long-snout._ Eve sighed with relief and answered, _No I am not. But I do need help._ The male leaned in and gave her a big sniff. He looked at his mate, _This is a female._ The female raptor made a low friendly noise in its throat, _You are lost?_ Eve smiled, _In a way._ In the back of her head, she remembered that the scientists had said that Velociraptor was one of the most intelligent dinosaurs. She would agree with them. This was the first dinosaur she had talked to that could actually make complete sentences. Now if they didn’t kill her, that would be another thing. The two raptors circled again, trying to decide what to do. The female finally stopped, _You are like a chick. Too young to fend for itself._ She reached forward and affectionately rubbed her head on Eve’s shoulder. The male also bumped himself on her, and she understood that she was accepted. The two raptors turned and started to walk away, and Eve knew she should follow. They would go to the nest-site and meet the rest of the raptors. She couldn’t wait. A new adventure was starting!


	2. Running With the Pack

The male and female raptors went slowly, checking that Eve could follow along. They did treat her like a wayward raptor chick. She sensed that something had happened to the pair. Perhaps they had lost their own chicks, and that was why they were so willing to take her on. She decided to ask,  _Do you have any chicks of your own?_ The female made a sorrowful sound and the male answered,  _We did. But none of our chicks survived._ Eve told them how sorry she was. Losing little ones must be tough, but a sad fact of life.

The going was slow since they went through thick greenery. Finally a small clearing opened up before them. Eve heard hisses and growls and kronking sounds. She looked around as she emerged into the clearing. She saw two nests lined with greenery and eggs within one. A female hovered nearby and hissed at Eve.  _Stranger! Strangers are not allowed near the eggs!_  The female she had been with hissed back,  _She is one of us!_  Eve heard a snarl and saw a large female walking toward her. She cocked her head, and Eve stepped close to the male raptor. The large female growled low,  _Who is this? Why do you protect her, Snapp?_ The male raptor answered,  _She is a chick, Broke Fang._ Broke Fang came close and pushed Eve away from Snapp. She sniffed her deeply, then asked,  _Do you understand us, small one?_  Eve smiled in relief. She hadn't been sure she wouldn't be eaten.  _Yes, Broke Fang. I flew here, but we crashed. I am alone._  Snapp's mate wheeled around,  _Flew? You didn't say anything about flying. Where are your wings?_  Broke Fang snarled,  _Hush, Silver Face. Let the chick explain._  Eve sighed,  _I don't have wings. It was a...man-made thing. My friend died. I can't survive here on my own. I need food and shelter._

Broke Fang paused, then opened her mouth in a raptor kind of smile. Eve saw the broken fang that denoted her name. Broke Fang snorted in a relaxed kind of way and nodded,  _Welcome to the pack, little one._ Eve couldn't help but grin. She was quickly introduced to the others. Broke Fang was the alpha female, and Rip Maw was her mate. Silver Face and Snapp she knew. Then there were Long Fang, the beta female with her mate Sharp Claw. There were a few young chicks that were unnamed plus the eggs in the nest that belonged to Long Fang and Broke Fang. They brought her meat from a recent kill, and although Eve really was grateful, she couldn't eat it. She had to explain to the raptors that she needed to cook her food. They didn't know what she meant. She tried to explain that she couldn't eat meat raw, so it needed to be prepared over fire.

The raptors were curious. They knew about fire since occasionally a lightning strike would create one. Would the strange chick call down lightning? Eve smiled at their puzzled thoughts, and dug into her backpack. Her dad had been really good about teaching her survival skills, and she always had several items in her pack, just in case. She brought out a package steel wool and a battery. The young raptor chicks bounced around, getting in her way. The pack shooed them away, but watched Eve's every move. Eve pulled out a tiny amount of steel wool and put the rest away. She gathered together dried grass and small sticks, and prepared a flat area away from the eggs. She packed down the dirt and put the wood neatly in place. On top, she placed the dried grass in bunches. Now she was ready. She pulled apart her steel wool and placed in the centre of the dried grass. She took her battery and carefully put it against the wool. It instantly ignited, and Eve made sure that all the grass burned. She added more wood as the little fire grew into a larger one.

Broke Fang came close and sniffed. The fire crackled, and she spooked away. The raptors were understandably nervous, but Eve put them all at ease. She picked some large flat leaves and rolled up a section of meat the raptors had given her. She placed it on the fire and waited for it to cook. She had her job keeping the young chicks away when the smell of cooked meat hit their sensitive nostrils. Finally, it was done. Using another stick she pulled her food away from the flame and placed it on a clean leaf. With her Swiss Army knife, Eve cut a piece of and ate it.  _Huh, not bad. A bit strange tasting, but it'll do for me to survive on_. The raptors left her alone with her meal and went to the kill to eat.

Now that she was full of food, she put out the fire. Eve sat back against a tree to think. She had found a dinosaur family she could live with. She had assumed that the herbivores would be easier to get along, but she had forgotten to account for the prey mentality. These raptors were very smart and intelligent. She remembered reading Owen Grady's accounts of them. No wonder he was able to train them somewhat. She also remembered reading about the problems they had caused in the previous Jurassic Park. Having them running around on top of the Rex being loose would definitely have caused major problems.

Speaking of the Rex… Eve propped up quickly. Where was the Rex? Weren't there a pair of rexes? She decided to wait until the raptors came back and ask them. She should know more of the dinosaurs of this island if she was going to run with them. Predators were the top priority to know about. She heard the pack coming back from the kill. They were happy and silly, and bounced around making screeching noises. Silver Face saw Eve sitting by the tree and settled next to her.  _How's it going, young one?_  Eve smiled at her and touched her silver scales on her face.  _I think those are pretty._ She felt the flush of happiness from the raptor.  _Silver Face? Where are the rexes?_  Silver Face was puzzled,  _Rexes? What are those?_  Eve thought for a moment before answering,  _You have a different name for them I suppose. You call yourselves long-snouts. We call you Velociraptors, or raptors. The T-Rex is a very large predator. They roar a lot, and have many teeth. They have a big blocky kind of head, if I remember correctly._ Silver Face pondered this,  _Ah yes. Raptors, you say? I think I like that. As for your question...I think that is a Roarer… they do make a lot of noise. But a Rex is a much better name. They have a nest site on the side of the island where the sun rises. We need to make the borders stronger on that side anyway. We'll take you if you want._

Eve knew the best chance for survival on this island was to know it as well as the raptors did. She must learn territories, dinosaur strength and weaknesses, and how each species got along. She had to learn her place in the ecosystem, basically. She had a great leg up though, with the raptors on her side. Eve felt confident about her chances. She wondered briefly how her parents were, and when they would think she was dead...but she didn't ponder this long. There were other things that were more important.

The next day, the pack except for Snapp left for their eastern border. Snapp stayed behind to watch the chicks and eggs. Broke Fang ran ahead of the group, but Silver Face trailed behind, knowing that Eve couldn't run like a raptor. Eve had been running for years...she was always good at track. But wow...the raptors sure could  _move_! They ran along an invisible border...well, invisible to Eve. They urinated at certain trees, and defecated at others. They also scratched several trees, leaving marks behind on the bark. Rip Maw explained that it was important to keep up the territory borders, or other predators would be too close to the raptor nests. The plant eaters didn't seem to care where predator borders were, but they had their own herd territories, depending on species.

The rexes didn't seem to be near this border, and the raptors were were reluctant to cross. Eve decided she would save the rex exploring mission for another day, when she knew her way around a bit better.

She was able to watch the pack hunt. They had finished their kill yesterday morning, and they were hungry. Such agile and fast bodies naturally had a high metabolism, so they must eat often. They went to a clearing where a herd of Edmontosaurus were lumbering along. Broke Fang looked at Eve,  _Sit hidden, but where you can watch. These are easy to kill, but also easy to stampede._ She slipped away, and Eve found a suitable bush to sit under while the rest of the pack dispersed in different directions. The only one to stay was Silver Face. She explained things so Eve understood.

The Edmontosaurus is a huge animal. They were not very fast at all, and had large hind legs and smaller front ones, but they walked along on all fours. They reminded her of Iguanodon, except bigger, and the heads were flatter, and of course they did not have the thumb spike that Iguanodon did. She saw Long Fang circle behind the herd, keeping out of sight. Sharp Claw had kept going so he was now near the other side of the clearing and out of sight. She did not know where Broke Fang or Rip Maw were. Silver Face inspected all the dinosaurs that were going by at a lumbering pace. She pointed out one particular individual,  _See that one? She limps. She has no young one with her. She'll be the one we take._ Eve questioned her,  _So...you all know that you're going to attack this particular dinosaur, without talking about it?_  Silver Face chuckled,  _Yes of course. We think as a team, and we know that this one will be easy prey. Just watch._

Eve paid close attention. Long Fang suddenly started running. The herd saw her and panicked. They started running away from her. Sharp Claw also broke cover, and swung the herd close to Eve's side. Silver Face leapt out of hiding and confused the herd. Individuals were running this way and that, but the raptors kept their eyes on the lame dinosaur. She was disoriented, and slow. They rushed in her direction, which made the dinosaur swing around. But it was too late, she ran directly into Broke Fang's jaws, who had appeared out of nowhere. Rip Maw made a powerful leap onto her back. A few minutes later, it was all over. The rest of the herd, seeing the raptors had chosen a victim, calmed down and continued to where they were going.

Eve had to give it to the raptors...they had strategy down to a T. It was amazing seeing them work together so seamlessly. She did feel like a helpless raptor chick seeing that. But then again, she was glad they were doing the hunting. Because of her ability to talk to animals made her leary of killing them. So, that was that problem taken care of, so she just had to find edible plants for a complete meal. She'd do that as soon as they got back to the nest site. For now, she was happy that her new family had taken her in so readily.


	3. The Hunters

The weeks went by. Eve became more and more confident at her survival techniques. The raptors had taught her about many of the dinosaurs that roamed Isla Sorna. She learned how to hide her tracks when needed, and how to use the shadows for cover. She learned how to run over varied terrain. She still left the killings to them, but she often helped coordinate attacks. The raptors loved having Eve around. Although she wasn’t quick like them...although she was faster than when she first came to them...she was intelligent. 

 

One day, they wanted to take an Ankylosaurus, for fun. The heavily scaled dinosaurs are almost impossible for raptors to attack, because they are built like a tank, and let’s not forget that clubbed tail too. Raptors are wary of things that can easily break their legs. They had seen a Rex upend one so he was able to attack the soft skin underneath. That method wouldn’t work for the raptors though...they were too small. But they wanted to conquer the beast. 

 

Eve thought about the problem. The trick was they needed to expose the underside of the Ankylosaurus without the raptors getting killed. She talked it over with Broke Fang, _So you can’t flip it over, so that means we need something else to flip it over._ Broke Fang replied, _Yes. But what? Raptors can hold sticks, but no stick is going to do that._ Finally Eve hit on it, _We need to make it fall._ Long Fang laughed, _Have you seen the little stubby legs on it? It doesn’t fall easily._ _Or roll._ _Or trip._ Eve replied, _What about downhill? Seems to me that it likes flat ground best._

 

The raptors conferred. At last Silver Face answered her,  _ There is a rocky cliff face near here. Easy enough for you and us to climb. Not for an Clubtail.  _ Eve smiled,  _ Then we have to lead it there and push it over. _ The raptors jumped up and down and laughed. This would be  **fun** ! 

 

They went in search of a Clubtail...and found one deep in the forest. The pack first tried to jump at it carefully to guide it to the rocky area they wanted. But the armoured dinosaur wouldn’t give in. He hunched over and swung his tail. The raptors stopped the game when Snapp almost got slammed. Eve shook her head,  _ We have to try something else. Is it a male or female? _ Broke Fang took a sniff, and replied, _ Male. _ Eve cocked her head,  _ So, what does a female sound like?  _ The pack looked at each other. They got it. A male Clubtail is  **always** interested in a mate, so he would follow “her” wherever “she” went. Rip Maw chuckled,  _ The females make a coughing kind of grunt. I think I can do it. _

 

Broke Fang nodded,  _ Get out of sight then. We’ll pretend to give up.  _ She watched her mate disappear, and the pack bounced around the Clubtail a few times, annoying him. Then they backed off again, and ran away in the opposite direction. 

 

Rip Maw waited until the armoured dinosaur relaxed and started eating again. Then he concentrated hard and tried to make the female Clubtail sound. _Cronk!_ It wasn’t really loud enough, but good for a first attempt. The male looked around briefly, then went back to eating. The raptor tried again, **_CRONK!_** This time he had the male’s attention. It still didn’t sound quite right, but he hoped it was close enough. He was a raptor after all, not a Clubtail! But it seemed that this male didn’t care. He jerked around and faced the direction that the enticing sound had come from. 

 

Eve told the other raptors,  _ He’ll follow Rip Maw. But Rip Maw is too small to sound like a Clubtail. You need to join him and make enough noise. _ The pack giggled, and joined the lone raptor. Eve followed behind, carefully. It was working! The Ankylosaurus gave his mating call, and Rip Maw answered with another  **CRONK!** The pack moved back slowly, at the speed of a Clubtail, and made enough noise for one. Silver Face remarked,  _ I didn’t think they were this stupid. We would smell the difference between a raptor and a Clubtail. _ Eve laughed and answered back,  _ Well, apparently boys only have one thing on the brain! _

 

They made progress through the trees. When they got to the clearing where the rocky slope was, the raptors made a dash for hiding spots nearby. Rip Maw hid himself on the slope and cronked again, several times. The Clubtail was confused. He could see no mate. Where was she? He did have a fleeting thought that she sounded funny, but no matter. A female was a female. He waddled forward into the open space. Hearing the female’s call somewhere beyond, he followed it again. Now he came to the rocky slope, and hesitated. Clubtails never go down this kind of terrain. But what if she had fallen? He peered down the slope where the female call clearly was coming from.

 

The raptors saw their chance. As one, with the exception of Rip Maw on the slope, they dashed to the unsuspecting dinosaur. They leaped on him, startling him. He put one foot on the rocks. They redoubled their attack, teeth bouncing off the armour plates. The dinosaur bellowed and swung his club tail. That made him put another foot on the rocks. Rip Maw decided to give another sad little  **CRONK** and that distracted the beleaguered male for a second. A third foot went on the rocks. Eve cried,  _ Make him swing his tail one more time! But be careful! Jump off when he goes! _ Again the raptors attacked the male. He bellowed in annoyance, and swung the tail. It was the last thing he ever did, for the rocks under him started rolling, and he went with them. Rip Maw barely managed to get out of the way of the tumbling monster. The raptors watched with fascination as the armoured dinosaur bounced along and finally landed on the bottom...upside down. At once the pack leaped on the helpless creature and killed him then and there. 

 

Eve laughed at the pack’s over the top excitement. _Save some for me!_ _And maybe get me one of those curvy armour plates...it will serve as a nice bowl for me._

 

A few days later, Eve went exploring on her own. She was confident enough not to get lost. Eventually she found herself in a large meadow with Brachiosaurs. The long necked dinosaurs were just as graceful as she had seen them that first day. This seemed to be a family group with young ones. Eve was interested in a very large individual who was lying on the ground resting. She decided to approach and see if Brachs were nice to talk to.

 

The Brach saw her and immediately greeted her,  _ Hello young one. What are you?  _ Eve was surprised. The voice was a motherly female one. And she also sounded intelligent. Eve replied,  _ I am human.  _ The long neck considered this,  _ I remember the humans. They once had control of this island. I hatched with them watching me. But that was a long time ago. I am old now. They do not come anymore. They are strange creatures.  _

 

Eve listened to the gentle creature. She smiled...she really liked her.  _ What’s your name? _ The Brach laughed and replied,  _ They call me Momma. It’s because I’m the oldest, and I’ve had the most calves. _ The girl responded,  _ I’m glad you can talk to me. You’re really smart. And I thought long necks never looked down. _ Momma carefully lowered her huge head to gently bump the girl,  _ I do. Most of my kind don’t, it’s true. But I do. I learned to watch and listen a long time ago. That’s how I’m wise. I learned human speak long ago, and therefore, my thoughts developed. _ It made sense, Eve pondered. She got out of the way as Momma stood up. She really was massive, but Eve felt safe with her. 

  
Momma looked down at the tiny human below her,  _ If you need anything, young one, I am here. And I know you will not be alone forever. Humans like their pack, just like the raptors. Someone will come for you, I am sure. _ Eve frowned. She didn’t know how to feel about this, and said so.  _ I am sure my parents miss me. But, Momma, I haven’t felt this free...ever. I love my raptor pack. There is nothing quite like it.  _ Momma replied,  _ No, dear one. I’m sure there isn’t. But you need a mate. No one is complete without one. And your mate will not be a raptor, but a human. I lost my mate years ago, but he completed me. And I him. Just remember that, small one. _ With that, the Brachiosaurus lumbered away, leaving Eve deep in thought. 


	4. Planning

Owen Grady sat in the office’s waiting room. He was supposed to have a meeting with someone high up, and he had a feeling it had to with the failed Jurassic World. He’d already done a shit ton of paperwork, and gone for interviews and reviews and everything else. So the park failed again for the second time...big surprise there when they cross bred something like  _ Indominus Rex _ and expected it to behave like a lap dog.

 

At last the cute little secretary gave him a nod and a smile, “They’re waiting for you, Mr. Grady.” He gave her a polite nod back, and inwardly smiled at the flirty glance she gave him. It certainly didn’t hurt to look. He’d broken up with Claire...again...and although Owen did feel bad about that, it was for the best. They wouldn’t have worked together, anyway. They were too different.

 

He walked into a boardroom, where there were several people waiting for him.  _ What is this about? _ Now he wasn’t sure what was expected of him, so he merely waited. The woman at the head of the table stood up to greet him, “Good morning, Mr. Grady. Please have a seat.” Owen looked around at the other people briefly before plopping himself into a chair.

 

The woman smiled and introduced herself, “Morning everyone. I am Diana Bassett. As you may know, I was one of the leaders of the Jurassic World Project. This here on my right is Roy Donner. The rest of you can introduce yourselves.” She gestured at the next man sitting beside Mr. Donner. He nodded and said, “I’m Shane Ross.” The woman across from him replied, “I’m Emma Stone.” The man next to her smiled, “And I’m her husband, Kyle Stone.” Owen introduced himself as well. Diana Bassett sat down and Mr. Donner stood up, “I am assuming all of your are familiar with Isla Sorna?” Owen answered this, “That’s Site B, isn’t it? Where they left the dinos to roam in a real environment?” Roy nodded, “Yes, exactly. We let it be after the fiasco with the Rexes escaping. We know it was a flourishing ecosystem, and untouched. Until about three months ago, that is. It has come to our attention that there was a plane crash there.” 

 

Everyone except Diana were surprised and looked at each other. Shane asked, “I thought there was a no-fly zone around that island.” Roy replied, “Yes, but it seems that two girls wanted to have a joy-ride around the islands. They crashed on Isla Sorna. There is evidence that one survived though.” Owen held up a hand, “Wait, how do you even know this? And why all this time later?” 

  
Diana answered this one, “Because although Site B has been untouched until now, we do keep track by satellite of how things are roughly going. The last images clearly showed a plane in pieces. But we didn’t know who crashed, so we had to go through the missing list. There were two people on that plane: Genevieve Castillo and Lucy Lopez. When we figured out there was a plan crash, we got further pictures. There is evidence of small fires being set. And then we have this photo.” She motioned at Roy, who opened a folder and produced a grainy image of a black haired girl in a clearing. Everyone studied it carefully. 

 

Roy answered everyone’s unspoken question, “This is Genevieve. As far as we know, she is the sole survivor. Our mission? We go to get her out.” Emma sighed, “How was she able to survive for so long? I mean, there are too many things out there that can eat her!” Kyle laid a hand on her shoulder, “She must be a tough one. There was a kid lost on that island too before, right? And he made it out okay.”   
  
“That’s the concern, Mr. Stone,” Roy nodded. “But at the same time, the fact that she’s been there for so long raises a few questions. She is clearly surviving with dinosaurs. But how? This is why we’ve called you all together. Owen Grady worked at Jurassic World, and is familiar with the dinosaurs there. The Stones are guides in Africa, and have much knowledge of predators and tracking, amongst other things. Shane Ross is a veterinarian. He has worked extensively in zoos and has worked with Veterinarians Without Borders. He’s been pretty much everywhere in the world, and will be a huge asset to the team. Now, without further ado, are you willing to be the team that goes to Site B to rescue Genevieve Castillo?” 

 

Owen thought for a moment. It was dangerous. They didn’t even know if the young woman was still alive. There’d be predators all over, even free, untrained raptors. Clearly they wanted to mix the rescue attempt with research at the same time. How was the island doing? How was this person even living? 

 

Owen didn’t back down from a challenge easily. Why else would he work with a pack of raptors? He was the first to say, “I’m in.” The others paused before declaring they’d do it too. Diana smiled, “Good. We’ll leave you to it and plan whatever you think you need. When you have gotten a game plane going, we’ll fly you down to San Jose, then get you a helo to the island. We’ll drop you off and trust you to find the girl plus do a little...sightseeing...if you can. Understood?” The newly formed team nodded back to to her, and she got up to leave, along with her assistant. Kyle quickly asked a question, “If we need to get a hold of you?” Mr. Donner answered, “There’s our cards on the table there. Just give either of us a shout if you have further questions. Don’t worry about expenses. Everything you need will be paid for by us. Anything further?” Everyone shook their heads no. 

 

A few hours later, a tentative game plan was ready. They would leave in a week...that’s how long it would take to organize everything. The Stones had wanted to leave earlier, being very concerned about Genevieve. However Owen argued the fact that as far as they knew, she’d been alive...surviving in fact...for this long. There was not reason to think she couldn’t last another week. The important thing was that  **they** were safe too. You couldn’t just drop everything and run off to an island where raptors and Rexes ran amuck on the island...with little protection. 

 

He got everyone to agree on this, and then they figured out what items they needed and could carry. This would be like a backpacking trip...they needed to leave as little footprints as they could. The issue would be sleeping arrangements. High hides worked somewhat...but they would still be in biting range of a Rex, and besides, there was no way they could carry one. In the end they decided on tree tents that they could secure high enough out of the way of curious dinosaurs and basically cross their fingers and hope for the best. 

 

The week flew by. It had been stressful and exciting at the same time. Finally the team were winging their way out to San Jose. Little was said on the flight. At one point though, Shane asked Owen, “How do you feel about all this? You were there when Jurassic World happened. Even with all our preparation, something could go wrong. I just wanna know your thoughts on this.” Owen considered this. Finally he answered, “I’m okay with it. Yes, we made stupid mistakes, and most of those mistakes were out of my hands. But those are the breaks you get. See, Shane, when something bad happens, we have three choices to make. We can it define us, or let it destroy us, or we can let it make us stronger. I choose door number three. I’m not saying we should have made another park, but I am saying that these are creatures from our past. And since they are here again, we should at least try to understand them instead of exploiting them.” Shane grinned. He liked Owen. He reached out his fist and Owen with a chuckle bumped him back. 

 

It was a long time before they saw the green island of Isla Sorna. 


	5. Friends or Enemies?

Eve was exploring around again. The raptor pack understood that sometimes she needed to be alone with her thoughts. Now that Eve knew her way around, they did not worry about her safety. She’d already proven herself able to get out of tight spots.

She was travelling today along the Rex side of the territory. She really wanted to see one, as thus far they had all stayed away for her safety. Now that she was confident in her abilities, Eve was going to look for one.

Soon she could hear a Rex roaring. The raptors had been very clear to point out what this sounded like from a distance so Eve was able to identify this quickly. She did what most people would do the opposite of. She headed toward the sound. Eve had to scramble down a lot of slopes to get to where she wanted to go, but eventually hit a nice flat area. Clearly visible in the dirt were enormous Rex tracks. Fresh too. Eve followed them. Soon enough she came across a clearing. She saw a herd of Corythosaurus grazing or splashing about in the lake. She noted especially their duck-like bill which their name came from. They honked in a funny manner. Eve knew the scene wasn’t as idyllic as it seemed for the Rex had to be somewhere nearby. She was surprised that something so large could hide so well. She’d have to watch her ps and qs with this dinosaur. Finding a safe place to hide, she sat to watch, for the excitement would start soon, she knew.

One of the Corys suddenly swung its head at a sound it heard. He stiffened, and a female looked too. Now the first one honked loudly in alarm. The herd started to lumber off, but Corys are slow. They are not made for running. Most jumped into the lake, and to Eve’s surprise were quite strong swimmers. _Guess there is more to it than just the duck bill._

Out of the nearby forest came a great roar. A Rex appeared in full sprint. He opened his jaws wide and for one moment, Eve was afraid, even though she knew he wasn’t going for _her_. The Corys panicked. The ones in the lake swam out even further, and the ones near the shore jumped in. Two, however, had been too far out when the alarm had sounded. The Rex got between them and the lake. He roared again, and the two smaller dinosaurs split up. The Rex could only follow one, so he studied them quickly, and made his choice. He ran for the larger one. He easily caught up to it and the Cory squealed once as it saw the huge jaws descending on it. The Rex growled, and ate hungrily.

Eve waited in the shadows. She wasn’t sure just how to approach him. She didn’t want to end up the next meal, although he just ate. So hopefully he’s now not too hungry to eat her? At last she decided to move to a closer bush and call to him from there. He would be able to hear her, but not know where she was. That would be the safest plan. She called to him, _Hello there. Enjoying your meal?_

The Rex swung around, and roared. Eve thought to herself, _Well, the raptors were right. They do make a lot of noise._ She tried again, _You did a great job hunting that dinosaur._ The Rex looked annoyed at not knowing where the voice came from. He finally answered, _WHERE?!_ Eve sighed. She’d have to show herself, or he’d get too angry. She cautiously showed herself, _Here I am. I just wanted to talk._ The Rex tried to focus on her, but seemed to have trouble. Eve suddenly realized it was because she was standing still. She moved slightly so he’d see her. Now he came close and Eve was again struck at how huge he was. He growled, _Who are you?_ She answered, _I’m Eve. I’m just a friend._ He brought his head down to her and sniffed, _Raptor._ Eve smiled, _Yes, I’ve been with the raptor pack. But I wanted to meet you._

 

The Rex growled again, _Annoying little things._ He paused to look at her more closely. Again, she kindly moved for him to track her. She put out a strong friendly vibe. He sniffed again. Finally deciding that she would be too small to really eat, especially after the Cory, he turned away without saying anything. Going back to his kill, he stared at her once more. _Do not bother me or my mate._ Eve nodded and replied, _I won’t. I just wanted to make sure if we crossed paths you would know who I was. I’ll try not to get in your way._ _Thank you._ The Rex roared once more, and Eve had to clap her hands over her ears. 

She left quickly, satisfied with her encounter. Hopefully he’d remember to tell his mate about her. She felt a lot safer now that she had talked to him. He was clearly territorial and not too smart. He was still dangerous, of course, but now that he was aware of her it was better. 

She passed through the Brach Meadow as she had begun to call it.They did roam around a lot, but frequented this meadow most because their favourite trees were there. She saw the gentle Momma and called to her, _Hello!_ The dinosaur swung her long neck gracefully in Eve’s direction, _Young one, I have seen the whirlybird today._ Eve paused, puzzled. What was she talking about? She asked, _What is a whirlybird?_ Momma answered, _It carries people. I have not seen any since the island was abandoned._

Eve thought about this. It carried people? Wait, there was another word for this...she had to think. _A helicopter, Momma? Not a plane? Like I crashed in?_ Momma responded, _Yes, that’s it. I had forgotten the right word. It has been so long since there other humans. Treat them gently, dear one. You have grown wild with the raptors._ Eve smiled and waved at the Brach. She left for her pack, deep in thought.

 

* * *

 

Owen and the others waved at the helicopter pilot as he pulled away from them. Their bags and stuff was on the ground all around them. They watched as the chopper rose and disappeared into the sky. Now all they had for outside communication was a satellite phone, and that was all. They were all understandably nervous, but excited at the same time. This would be an adventure like never before. Owen was team lead, and pointed into the forest, “Okay guys, let’s go that way.” Shane picked up his pack and shouldered it. He asked, “Any particular reason why that direction?” Owen grinned, “Nope. Just as good as any. Although, last we knew, Genevieve was near the heart of the island, so I figured it’s in that direction.”

The team picked up their stuff as they had practiced already. In less than five minutes, they were all hiking through the thick foliage. They walked for quite some time before reaching a clearing. Emma gasped and pointed. They saw a fairly large herd of Styracosaurus grazing. Two males smacked head against each other, grunting as their horns locked. “Wow...this is...amazing,” she could only say. They heard trumpeting noises and looked to see a herd of Parasaurolophus who come to drink from the water. The big male trumpeted again and looked around to see his females were close together. The young ones stayed close to their mothers. Owen had to grin. There was nothing in the world like this. Even after all he had seen at Jurassic World, it paled in comparison to seeing these dinosaurs in the wild. Moving along quietly so they wouldn’t spook anyone, the team snapped some pictures before heading off again.

They had been walking for some hours when Owen suddenly had a feeling of danger. He held up a hand, and everyone went motionless. What was there? No one could see anything, but that’s exactly what worried him. Owen sensed the presence of something very dangerous. He had a feeling that they were about to encounter raptors, because that was the only thing that felt like this. He whispered, “No one move a muscle.” The warning had been unnecessary. Every person had frozen to the spot, the same feeling of danger creeping over them. They had been in an open area of the forest, but there were still plenty of bushes and such like around. Enough hiding spots for raptors.

They all jumped back when one leaped in front of Owen and snarled loudly. Kyle swore loudly, but his wife shushed him. Owen knew that the raptor in the front of them wouldn’t be the dangerous one. It was the ones he knew would be hidden along the sides or behind. He softly talked to the raptor, “Hey, buddy. We’re not going to hurt you.” It snarled at him again, then turned its head to the right. The humans followed its gaze and saw another raptor appear. It was larger than this one, and it also snarled. Soon the rest of the pack appeared and surrounded them. Each raptor growled and snarled. The people remained frozen, but puzzled. The raptors seemed to be...waiting...for something. For one of them to move?

The largest raptor suddenly swung her head up towards a slope. Everyone looked up to see what she saw. And there, perched on the rocks, was a black haired girl. She watched them without saying a word. Now she hopped off the the rocks and walked slowly to the team. To their amazement, the raptors gave way to her. She reached out casually and stroked one of them on the snout. The largest raptor snarled again, and the young woman glanced its way. She snarled back and the raptor backed away, to Owen’s shock. She looked at them all carefully, threading her way among the team. No one moved a muscle, for if they did, a raptor would snarl dreadfully. Finally, she seemed satisfied, and went up the slope and disappeared without saying a word or looking back. The raptors watched the team for a minute or two, then followed her.

After they were gone, as one, everyone dropped to the ground in relief. Shane asked, “How is it possible? She’s one of the raptors! Owen?” The former raptor trainer shook his head, “I have never in my life seen anything like this before. They were all one pack, including her. This goes way beyond anything I ever did with my raptors. I was _always_ aware that they could easily kill me. She didn’t seem to have that worry.”

They discussed this for a while longer, then decided to head in the direction Genevieve had gone. Emma was worried about the girl, although she had actually looked healthy instead of half starved as she had imagined. Kyle held his wife’s hand. He knew the stakes had just risen. They were going try to find the raptor nest, and that didn’t bode well with him.

Eve and her pack went back to the nest site. They didn’t bother her until they arrived and Long Face had checked her eggs. The young raptors were big enough to be left alone with the eggs and they had done a good job. The adults greeted the youngsters and rested. Eve went to her usual tree and sat on the ground. Broke Fang came to her and lay next to her. Eying the girl carefully she said, _So there are humans on the island once again. I have heard stories of them. How do you feel now that they are here?_ Eve sighed, _I don’t know, Broke Fang. They were afraid of us. I don’t mind that...that’s good. I used to be nervous of what people thought of me. No one ever knew about my ability._ Broke Fang nuzzled her, _And here you feel safe. I’m happy about that. You don’t wish to leave, do you?_

Eve closed her eyes and leaned her head against the tree. _To be honest, I don’t know what I want. I love my life now. It’s simple, and free, and I can be myself. But I know people must miss me. Look at Silver Face and Snapp. They miss their young ones._ Broke Fang nodded, _Yes, but they also know it is a fact of life. The young ones do not often survive. You have though. It is up to you whether you wish to talk to them._

Here Silver Face broke in on the conversation, _Why don’t you go see? Show them around? Make it clear that you are just being friendly with them._ Eve smiled. That was a great idea. It seemed weird to have people around after so long. It would take time. She turned to Broke Fang with a gleam in her eye, _I have an idea. Want to help with that?_


	6. Friends...For Now...

It was the next day. The team had spent the night in their tree tents, but even after the exhausting day before, no one really slept well. Every sound, every roar, every twig snapping had them up and awake. But nobody came by during the night. However, each person did at least snatch a few hours of sleep.

Shane had a fire going quickly and brewed up some coffee for everyone to wake up with. After a quick breakfast, they packed everything up and got ready to move on again. They had been unsuccessful finding Genevieve, or even the raptors for that matter. They had completely vanished. 

A few hours later everyone stopped for a rest break. Owen took a deep drink of water. He made an “ahhh” sound, then bent to put it back in his pack. Swinging around, he suddenly came face to face with Genevieve. He froze, and everyone else suddenly saw her too. No one moved for a good minute. Owen forced himself to relax, and said, “Genevieve, we’ve been looking for you. Are you okay?” She cocked her head at him, and smiled, “It’s Eve to you. I’m just here to see what you’re doing. Touch me, and you’ll be sorry for it.” Kyle moved slowly, “We won’t hurt you, Eve.” She turned and said, “Oh, good, because we don’t have a problem hurting you.” 

They had no time to react to that as suddenly a snarl sounded and a raptor pounced on Shane, knocking him flat. Shane fell face first onto the ground, the raptor on his back. Owen started to run, but was checked by Eve’s voice, “I wouldn’t move if I were you. Broke Fang doesn’t have her claws into him yet, but if you move towards her, she will.” 

Emma was crying softly, and Shane panted with fear. He could feel the tips of the terrible claws on his back but the raptor hadn’t gripped yet. He hoped it never would. Owen held his hands up in a non-threatening manner and turned back to Eve, “Let him go. What do you want from us?” Eve watched him for a moment before replying, “I want to make it perfectly clear that I am allowing you to come with me. You want to see how the island is doing, don’t you? Well, I will guide you around. But the moment you move against me, my pack will protect me.” Silently she said,  _ That’s it, Broke Fang. Dig into him, just a little. Just enough to puncture him a little. I want to make my point clear. _ Broke Fang grinned, and snapped her claws into him. The man under her screamed, exciting her. But she took care to do nothing more than that.

Shane yelled, “It’s in me! Get it off me! The claws are in me!” Kyle started move slowly towards the fallen man, but the raptor snarled at him, and Shane screamed again as the claws dug in more. Owen took took a deep breath, “Please tell the raptor to get off my friend. You don’t need to hurt us. We’d be glad to have you as our guide.” 

Owen watched carefully as the mysterious girl flicked her eyes at the raptor. Without her saying a single thing, the raptor pulled her claws out of the man and went to stand beside her. To his amazement, they head bumped each other in a friendly way, much as he had seen his own raptors do to each other. He had a thought,  _ Was she talking to the raptor? _ He voiced his question, “How do you communicate with the raptor?” Eve turned her head, shushing the other one’s snarl, “This is Broke Fang. I do talk to her, yes. I’ve always been able to do it with animals. Now let’s go.” 

Emma called, “Wait! We have to see if Shane is okay.” She hurried to him, and stripped his shirt off. She sighed as she saw the twin wounds in his back, and quickly opened up her pack, as it held medical kits. Eve waited until the man was bandaged up. Finally the task was done, so she said, “Let’s go.” No one stood upon that order, and the team packed their bags up quickly and followed her. 

Eve asked Broke Fang,  _ Shall I bring them to the nest site? Or leave them elsewhere. They need to put their things somewhere so we shall be unhindered.  _ Broke Fang purred,  _ Not the nest site. They can see it, but not stay there. There have been stories once upon a time of eggs being stolen. Use the cave. _ Eve nodded. She knew what cave the raptor meant. It was nearby and she used it when it stormed. Otherwise, she slept outside like the raptors. 

Owen thought a lot as he marched along after Eve and Broke Fang. It astounded him that this young woman could understand dinosaurs. He’d often wondered what Blue thought of him. How any of the dinosaurs felt about things. And here she was, able to communicate with them as easily as speaking to a human. He wanted to ask her all sorts of questions...they all did. But at the moment she was not in a talkative mood. Which, honestly, wasn’t surprising if she never had to use her voice all these months, but just talk in her head. 

At last Eve stopped. They were near a cave and Eve nodded her head towards it, “Put all your stuff here. You’ll camp out here. You will be undisturbed, even by those blasted little Compys. They’re annoying, but they won’t bother us, or you.” Thanking her, the team stowed their gear away in the cave. It might be slightly cramped for sleeping space, but it would do. Now that everyone claimed their space, Eve quietly said, “Now I will show you the nest site. Remember, you will  **not** touch the eggs or the young ones. Look all you like, but don’t touch a thing.” They agreed to this and with some trepidation, followed Eve and Broke Fang once more. A short distance away from the cave, the area flattened and the trees were more open. A small clearing appeared before them, and in it stood the raptor pack. 

They watched Eve boldly walk among them. She pointed at a spot on the ground, “Sit there.” Everyone obeyed and sat in a huddle where she had pointed and had a good look around. They saw two nests, one of which was empty, and the other had three eggs in it. There were several adult raptors who growled at them. A few young ones huddled together watching them. The adults circled around, effectively cutting off any means of escape. Shane shuddered, thinking of what it would be like to have those claws slashing him to pieces. 

Eve was silent, but it seemed she was talking to the raptors. Finally she turned her attention on the waiting team. She said, “Broke Fang you have met already. She’s the alpha. Her mate is behind her...that’s Rip Maw. Long Fang on your right is the beta female. Her mate is Sharp Claw, on your left. Over by the ferns you have Silver Face, the gamma female. Her mate is Snapp. Silver Face and Snapp were the ones to introduce me to the pack. The young ones don’t have names yet. Babyhood is such a dangerous time that the raptors don’t bother giving them names until they’re older.” 

The seated people looked in amazement at each raptor as it snarled and jumped up and down. Broke Fang flexed her hooked claws again, making Shane shudder. Owen kept his voice level, “Did you name them?” Eve shook her head, “No. They name themselves.” Rip Maw came close to Owen and breathed on him. He growled low, and finding the man still looking him in the eyes, opened his mouth in a very loud and nasty snarl. Kyle had wide eyes. He whispered, “What does he want?” Owen answered, “He wants me to give in to him. He’s the mate of the alpha after all. Therefore he ranks high. He knows I am the leader.” Owen then looked away from the male. He made a quiet huffing noise like “I give up”, and did not meet the raptor’s eyes. Rip Maw growled again, and nipped Owen sharply on the shoulder, making the man wince. But he held as still as he could, and Rip Maw said to Eve,  _ Well, he knows how to behave. He has conceded his station as leader. I am satisfied.  _ With that he bounded away to stand at Broke Fang’s side. 

Eve smiled in approval and said, “I guess the stories are true. You  _ do _ know how to deal with raptors. Long Fang growled and acted defensive. Eve translated, “The eggs you see are Long Fang’s. She worries that you will take them, for there are stories that every raptor knows...how once long ago a human stole the eggs.” Owen nodded, “Yes, that did happen once. It was a foolish mistake, but the eggs were returned. Do the stories say that?” Eve paused to translate back to the raptors before replying, “Yes, they do. However, for this reason, none of you are allowed here at this site without me or a raptor escort. We brought you here so you could see it, and know where it is. But you are barred from here from this day forward. That is the law as laid down by Broke Fang. Anyone trespassing here will be immediately killed.”

Owen looked at his team, and caught nods from all of them. He stood slowly, ignoring the raptors’ soft growls. He spoke directly to Broke Fang, knowing Eve would tell her what he said, “Broke Fang, you have my word that we will never harm you or your young ones or your eggs. We want you to trust us, and we will never betray that by breaking your rules. Deal?” Broke Fang raised her head, but was silent. At last she bobbed her head, and it was obvious to all that she had said  _ yes. _

Eve clapped her hands gladly. “Now that is all straightened out, I want you to meet Momma.” Emma blurted out in surprise, “Momma? I thought you were alone here?” Eve laughed and tossed her hair to one side, “You’ll see.” Bidding the raptors goodbye, she led the team down to the Brach Meadow. 

Every person stood still, even Owen, at the sight before them. The long neck dinosaurs were spread out throughout the meadow, grazing on the tall trees all around. Owen remembered how often he was struck in awe at these beautiful and gentle creatures, no matter many times he saw them. Eve quietly said, “Be careful. They don’t really look down too often.” She wound her way to one corner of the meadow. They had to dodge once, because a pair of young males were mock fighting. The Stones watched the pair with great interest...it was like giraffes necking each other. The principles were quite similar.

At last Eve stopped near the most massive Brach of them all. Everyone saw the dinosaur deliberately look down on them. Kyle raised an eyebrow, “I thought you said they didn’t look down.” Eve smiled, “Momma does.” She called up to her,  _ Momma, I brought the humans to see you.  _ The Brach replied,  _ I see that. I am curious about them. Hold on, and watch out. _ Eve backed everyone away as the large dinosaur prepared to lie down. She knelt down, then lowered her back end down with a great  **thud** . She curled the tail around herself, and lowered the head closer to theirs. Eve came right up to her, and Momma allowed her to pet her head. She introduced the team, “This is Momma. Everyone calls her that. She is the oldest dinosaur here as far as we know. She remembers hatching for the humans...I mean...the scientists. She remembers them.” 

Everyone stared at the huge dinosaur. Emma finally found her voice, “Can we...touch her?” Eve laughed, “Of course! Go ahead. And ask her whatever you want. She’s really intelligent. Most of the herbivores aren’t this smart.” Everyone crowded around and stroked Momma’s face, and she made a funny purring little noise. Owen grinned...he’d only heard that from Brachs when they were really happy. He said, “What does she remember from the scientists?” 

Eve translated as Momma said,  _ I hatched with my siblings in a room full of bright lights. I remember the humans looking quite large to me. I remember as I grew, being fed with bottles of milk from the humans, and being turned out into small enclosed areas so I could exercise. They gave me a...ball...to play with. Most of my siblings did not survive, but I did. When I grew too large to stay with them, they put me in a paddock with other long-necks. Eventually they decided to transport me to this island before I grew too big. I was freed and let to roam wherever I willed. I missed the fuss the humans gave me for sometime, but as I grew even older, and had calves of my own, I stopped missing them. However… _ , here the Brach made a funny snorting sound. She was laughing.  _ I still miss that ball!  _

Eve giggled at the thought of the wise Momma playing like that. It must have been cute. She answered many more questions from the team, before heading back to the cave. Today had been full of excitement. Tomorrow was another day. 


	7. Family Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back writing this one! I'm excited about it, and I hope my readers are too!

Eve laughed again, then reluctantly moved away so Momma could get up. She was glad that huge dinosaur felt comfortable enough to lie down and talk to them. And if the new people wanted to meet a  _ nice _ dinosaur, then she was it. Not that the others weren’t nice, but they weren’t Momma. 

Finally, Eve led the group away. The Stones had cameras out and were snapping away. Shane was still sore from the attack yesterday, but was watching about curiously. He had a lot of respect for Eve with what she could do. And Owen watched Eve. He had a thought about her being the most dangerous creature on this island. She could literally get the animals to turn on them if she so willed. They did seem to have a good start though, so perhaps this wouldn’t be too bad. The issue was...she seemed to have blocked things out. She hadn’t mentioned Lucy once, and they knew Lucy had died. She hadn’t mentioned her parents. Nothing personal actually. And he knew they’d have to face that before Eve left. But for now, they would just go along with her and see what happened, record whatever they needed, then get the hell out of there before...yeah, before all hell broke loose.

Now they were walking along a forested path. Emma asked aloud, “What kind of dinosaurs go through here a lot?”

Eve jumped at the sound of a human voice in the quiet of the forest. She still wasn’t used to that. But she did turn to answer, “All kinds. Big. Small.”

Emma thought that was awfully abrupt. But then again, actually rather expected from an almost feral young woman who had been speaking from her head for so long. She tried again though, “Do you have different names for the dinosaurs than the real thing?”

Again, Eve looked at her surprised. Somehow, she liked this woman though. So, she thought about it before replying, “Well, the raptors call themselves long snouts. They like their new name of ‘raptors’ though. They call the Ankylosaurus clubtails, and I’ve taken to calling them that too. The Rex is a Roarer. They call them Rex now.”

The older woman nodded, “So you’ve sort of exchanged some names for others. The raptors call some by your names, you call some by their names. Am I getting that right?”

Eve smiled, “Yes, that’s pretty much it. I still haven’t met all the dinosaurs, so I’m not sure what names they all have. But it doesn’t matter.”

Emma’s husband, Kyle, now put a question to Eve, seeing as she was willing to talk now. He smiled in a friendly manner, and said, “So with this ability of yours...how does that work for hunting?”

Everyone paid close attention but did so in a way that Eve wouldn’t feel threatened. Eve had a thoughtful look...it was the first time anyone had really asked about this ability... but tried to explain, “Well I  _ can _ ignore them. I mean, imagine for a moment that you hear every animal, every bird going by. It would drive you mad. It nearly did me when I was a kid and no one believed me. Eventually I was quiet about it. I didn’t want people to think I had schizophrenia. Actually I thought was hearing ghosts for a while. But that’s not what you asked. I can tune out animals when I want to. So that means when I’m hunting, I can’t hear them. That makes it so I don’t have an unfair advantage.” Eve was now a bit out of breath from all that talking. It was the most she had said for the last few months.

But Kyle had a warm smile for her in encouragement. She was getting used to them. That was good. Perhaps things would be okay.

They had traveled on a bit further when Eve stopped suddenly and turned her head to left. They waited to see if whatever she had heard was dangerous or not. Now everyone heard it. It was a tiny squalling sound. “What is that?” asked Shane warily. He didn’t want to get gored again, with good reason.

Eve thought to them out of habit,  _ It’s a young one. _ But then she realized no one had heard her. So she repeated it aloud, quietly.

Owen was quick to ask, “A young what?” But Eve shrugged. She didn’t know. But she was going to find out. She took the lead with Owen, and the others followed behind. Owen looked for tracks, and Eve called out silently. Between them both, they found a  _ something _ trembling behind a bush.

Eve made a soft quarking noise of curiosity. The trembling stopped as the creature froze. Clearly not a Compy. She reached out again,  _ Hello? We won’t hurt you. Come on out. _

She jumped back a bit as she got emotions projected at her. It was mostly fear mixed with a hint of curiosity. But the fear was more  _ don’t eat me _ and  _ where’s my mother _ . She knew that the baby must be small if it couldn’t make proper sentences yet. Again, she told it,  _ It’s okay. I won’t eat you. If you’re lost, we can help you find your family. _

Finally it made a low howl/squeak sound. Then it moved, and both Eve and Owen backed away to give it room. It emerged, and Emma made a happy little gasp. It was a baby Stegosaurus. A very small baby stegosaurus. Clearly it was just out of the nest, and must have wandered in the wrong direction.

Eve howled to it, now that she knew the proper species, and it calmed down. She spoke to it silently and told the group aloud, “It’s a little female. Poor thing got lost.”

Shane came up hesitantly, his veterinarian instincts kicking in. “Is it hurt? Is it okay?”

Shrugging at him, Eve replied, “You can look at her, I guess. But I think she’s fine. Just bewildered.”

Now the vet took the opportunity to actually  _ handle _ a dinosaur for the first time in his life. He didn’t count Broke Fang jumping on him. Which still hurt, by the way, but Emma had been doing a good job keeping the wounds clean and preventing infection. Shane was very gentle with the small baby, touching her calmly. Eve watched him closely, ready to jump in and protect the baby if needed. But Shane really was good with her. The little one made a surprised noise as his fingers ran over her scales, but then decided she liked it after all. She nosed him curiously, then tried to snuggle in, as best as a baby dinosaur knew how. This drew smiles from everyone watching, and Shane gave a soft laugh of amazement. “She’s okay. Not hurt at all. She’s...beautiful.” Again, he stroked her warm scales, tweaking the tiny little nubs that would become sails one day. She liked that, and squeak howled at him.

Eve gave a small smile. “Her family can’t be that far. Let me scout around and see if I can find them.” Nodding to Shane, she said, “I think you’re the babysitter. You stay with her.” 

Owen laughed now and smirked at the vet. The little stegosaurus really had taken a shine to the veterinarian. But he told Eve, “I’ll go with you. The others can stay here where it’s safe. It  _ is _ safe, isn’t it?”

Shrugging, she looked at him. The message was clear.  _ As safe as anywhere else _ . Owen sighed and looked at his team. They were cooing at the baby, but Kyle tipped him a nod. He’d watch everyone. Owen was satisfied with that, and turned to follow Eve.

They walked for a while, Eve calling out now and then mentally. No stegos this direction. They turned to another direction where Eve thought they might be. She knew of a certain plant that they liked to eat and thought they might be there at this time of day. It was near a riverbed where they would be able to drink as well.

Owen was the first to see something shivering the bushes. Eve wasn’t paying attention because she was calling again and listening for only stego calls back. He poked Eve and pointed, “That isn’t another baby, is it?”

Snapping her attention to where he was pointing, Eve focused. She shook her head and said, “No, that’s only a Compy.” She was about to dismiss it when she turned again, “Hold on. There’s a lot more than one.” Now she tilted her head and appeared to be snapping annoyedly at them. Owen watched carefully. One or two compys were harmless. But a whole group of them… well, he had heard stories. Were they about to get attacked? He noted Eve stepping in front of him as a Compy finally made its appearance. She was animated as she talked to it. Now another showed up. And another.

She growled at them to see if that would dissuade them, and told Owen, “Back away. Slowly.”

Owen did not disobey and took a few steps back. That got the small dinosaurs’ attention, but Eve was in the way. “What do they want?” 

Not looking up from the leader in front of her, Eve told him quietly, “They won’t attack me. But they do want to attack you. I’m not going to be able to hold them off much longer. When I say run, you run like hell. And get up a tree. Got it?”

Cursing under his breath, Owen braced himself to run. He turned his head slowly and tried to pick a tree. But he knew the closest ones would be poor choices. Either they were too easy and the compys would be up them too, or they were too hard to climb. Which meant he was screwed unless he found the right tree. While running. For his life. Well… that wouldn't be the first time.

Eve tried to distract the Compys but  _ they  _ were distracted by Owen. Eventually she knew they would ignore her. She'd always disliked the little things. Eve paused for the exact right time, then almost casually said aloud, “Run.”

Owen blinked once then was off and running. Eve, although she knew she wouldn't be touched, ran with him. She couldn't help it… the pack instinct was strong. And then the squeaking and chattering of the Compys behind spurred them both on. Owen's eyes darted around as he ran for his life. Finally, he spotted a likely tree. He flung himself on it, scampering up as fast as he could. The tree was slippery, and his hands and feet kept losing grip, but adrenaline spurred him up.

Eve was right behind him, concerned that the small dinos would have redirected aggression. She managed to scramble up to a sturdy branch with Owen, and they sat there, panting. Then they stared down at the very annoyed Compys, who soon realized the futility of climbing. Finally, they gave up.

Still gasping, Owen got out, “Thanks.” Eve smiled at him and gave him a  _ no problem  _ hand movement. She laid her head again at the tree trunk. That had been close. She  _ knew _ there was a reason she hated those tiny dinosaurs! Give her a Rex, any day. At least the one she had met seemed reasonable.

A tap on Eve's shoulder got her attention. Owen was staring at something in the clearing he could just see. Then he laughed. “Eve? Tell me that isn't what we're looking for,” he said with a smile and pointing at some unmistakable sails.

She stared too, then laughed as she agreed, “Yeah, those are stegos alright!” She grinned and shrugged playfully as he replied, “So… all we had to do was climb a tree? Really?”

As soon as Eve deemed it safe, they scampered down the tree and into the clearing. The buck stegosaurus remembered Eve and threatened her with his tail,  _ Two legger! Danger! _

_ Oh for goodness’ sake. I am a  _ **_friend_ ** _. I found something you might be looking for. Aren't you missing a baby? _

The male was insistent, and Owen automatically drew Eve back. He didn't like the look in the buck's eyes and the way he quivered his spiked tail. But then a small female stepped forward. She had only one word,  _ Baby? _

Eying the male, Eve responded to the female,  _ Yes! We found a very small spiketail. Is she yours? _

She gave a mournful howl,  _ Baby gone. Baby dead. _ She began to move away sadly when Eve impulsively ran to her, right under the startled male's nose. She wrapped her hands on the dinosaur’s face, stroking her softly.  _ No… she's not dead. I promise. We found her. She's safe. Come and get her. _

“Eve…” Owen warned quietly. She looked up to see a  _ very _ pissed off male stegosaurus. But then the female stepped in between them. She told him in no uncertain terms that  **she** was going with Eve to find her baby. He argued that leaving the herd would be dangerous. Finally, Eve grinned to Owen, saying, “It seems girls can win here, even in dinosaurs. She's coming with us.”

Willow, for that was the female's name, huffed one more time at him before turning to the humans. They understood: she was ready to be taken to her little one. So off they started for the group they had left behind.

After some time, they found them. Shane still had the baby on his lap, stroking her. The Stones had taken a gazillion pictures it seemed. Suddenly the baby perked up and squalled. She was answered by a howl. Even and Owen soon appeared with a large dinosaur behind them. Willow howled again, but this time it was obvious that she was ecstatically happy. And the little one felt the same. She scrambled off Shane's lap and ran as best she could to her mother. Emma took a few more pictures as the two sniffed, then nuzzled each other.

Willow gave a soft grunt in thanks, and the baby squeaked. Eve listened a moment then turned to Shane. “Willow says the baby hasn't been named yet. Would you like to have the honours?”

A grin split his face, and he was allowed to fondly pat the little one again. After thinking a moment, he said, “Fern. Her name is Fern.”

Willow snorted in happy agreement and poked her baby...Fern. They again called to the group in unison before turning to go. Soon, the group could see neither Willow or Fern.

Eve sighed happily. Smiling at them, she said, “Well, I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Let's go back to the cave and eat something. I don't know about you, but I'm starving after all that.”

They had a good laugh, and made their way back. It had been exhilarating helping a young dinosaur, even if it had been fraught with danger.

Momma saw them go by, and wondered at them. Broke Fang also wondered too. And they both had the same thought: perhaps Eve belonged with her own kind.

  
  
  



	8. On the Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I greatly appreciate reviews and will definitely answer you! If you have anything you'd like to see, please let me know and I will see what I can do :)

Eve was happy to see the raptors again and spent time playing with the young ones. The other humans had gone to their cave to rest and eat. So she was free to chill out with her  _real_  friends. She pondered that a moment. Her past life seemed so far away. Here she lived in the moment, just like every one of these animals.

That didn't mean she didn't like spending time with these humans. She did. But they confused her. Here she was her true self. Eve could talk to all the animal she wanted and no one would think her screwy. But then again, these people had accepted her immediately. But maybe they only appeared to do that so she would feel comfortable with them. Maybe they were really the enemy here. But maybe they weren't. Eve growled to herself. She was talking around in circles.

 _Broke Fang? When are you going hunting next?_  She asked the matriarch female. Perhaps hunting would clear her head. Not that she could truly participate in the hunts...she could run much faster than she could before, but there was still no way she could keep up with a raptor. But still, seeing them hunt calmed her and sharpened her mind at the same time.

The raptor looked at her and purred.  _We go tomorrow at first light. The young ones can have the scraps._ She nuzzled Eve gently and asked in curiosity,  _You and the humans. Getting along?_

Eve's answer was sharp,  _Yes. For now._

 _Have they harmed you?_  Was her growled answer. She lashed her tail and her eyes flashed. She was protective of Eve and would brook no ill treatment of any of her pack.

 _No, Broke Fang. I just… I don't know what I want. And no, I don't want to talk about it right now. I just need to hunt,_  Eve sighed. She just wanted to keep things simple.

Broke Fang again poked her gently. Perhaps the girl was coming into heat. It was a confusing time for females. The hormones spiking… that sort of thing. In that case, the best thing was a male. There were now  _three_  human males available. Granted, one seemed to be with a female already, but that didn't always discount him. Some animals, she had noted, mated indiscriminately. She wanted to suggest that, but respected Eve's desire to be silent on this.

Eve trotted away to her usual spot. Then she had a thought. Should she tell the group they were hunting in the morning? Or just leave them for a day. What could happen if they were left alone?

Memories of the Rex filtered through to her brain. Plus the compys. Plus the other predators. Eve would  _really_  prefer if none of them were eaten. Fine then. She'd take them. But they had  _better_  not ruin the hunt! Growling, she stomped over to the cave.

Shane whipped around, surprised. He had just been getting his wounds treated again, so had his shirt off. Eve stared at him, and couldn't help but run her eyes over his bare chest. She felt a strange stirring inside at the sight. She liked how he looked. Was that right? Yes, she did. Finally snapping her eyes up to his face she curtly told them, "We're going hunting at first light. Be ready."

She was about to stalk away when Shane said, "Hey, wait a minute." Eve reluctantly stopped and turned to him again, thankful to see that he had at least put his shirt back on again. He smiled and said, "Don't hurry away. Talk to us for a while. What are you guys hunting?"

Eve glared at him and snapped out, "Whatever we find." Now she walked away. Now why had she been so short. He seemed like a nice guy. So did Owen. They were all nice, to be honest. Now this is what had her wary. There was such a thing as  _too nice_.

_I'd trust him as far as I could throw him._

That floated through Eve's brain. Who had said that? Then it hit her.  _Her father._  She had shut her mind off to everything that had happened before the crash. It was pointless. She had crashed. Her friend had died. There was no one coming for her. They weren't supposed to be there in the first place. But since she was… she lived as they did. In the moment. No past. No future. Just living day to day. It was a refreshing way of living.

Deciding to fall back on that, she just walked away and lay under her favourite tree. The young raptors came and huddled with her. They had a habit of sleeping on top of each other, and sometimes with an adult. They now saw Eve as the adult… a strange one, perhaps, but an adult nevertheless. Well, Eve  _was_  an adult, just not a raptor adult. But she didn't bother explaining that to the young ones. She had made it  **very**  clear that they were  **not**  to bite or scratch her. Once that was out of the way, they made very good bed companions indeed.

At the break of day, Eve was woken up by the excited squealings of the raptors. It was hunting time! They growled and snapped at each other playfully. Eve even went to bump Snapp hard and he growled at her. But it was only a friendly growl, and he knew she was just as hyped as they were.  _You should go get the humans._

Eve grinned at him and jumped away to the cave. The silly people were still sleeping. She growled at them loudly. That got two awake right away: Owen and Emma. They both sat up suddenly at the same time, producing a rather comical effect. Eve had to chuckle at that then not letting up the growl in her voice, she told them, "We're leaving. With or without you. Five minutes."

Emma reached over and smacked her husband hard, who made a startled sleepy grunt. She hissed, "Get up. We gotta go!" The others were soon up in short order and running around. Eve sighed and waited nearby until the stupid humans could get their brains in gear. At last they were ready and she turned without waiting to say anything. Owen rolled his eyes, but motioned at the others to hurry.

They followed at a safe distance, Owen being the most wary of the raptors in hunting mode. Who was to say that they wouldn't turn on them? He remembered that wild ride on his ATV with the raptors hunting the Indominus Rex. Now  **that**  had been...epically awesome for lack of a better word. Thankfully, on  _this_  island, there were no crosses. No weird surprises. The animals themselves were hard enough to deal with to have to worry about a totally unknown species.

Eve was still following the raptors who had squealed and leaped into the bush. But she trotted long at an easy pace (for her), knowing where they had gone. They had said something about the fast legs. She knew what that meant, and where they normally liked to hang out. So she went straight for the Gallimimus meadow. She shushed the team when they neared the meadow. Shane came closer, asking in a low whisper, "What are they going to be hunting?"

She glared at him, but answered, "Fast legs...Gallimimus. They're tricky, but quite tasty. Just watch." She ran her eyes over the herd she could see. They usually liked to dart about like ostriches, but at the moment they were calm enough, pecking at the ground. Eve stared at them all, knowing that the raptors would be spread about somewhere nearby. She watched them move, noting each dinosaur carefully. Then Eve pointed to one, whispering, "See the female over there nearest the large rock? The raptors will try to take that one."

The group studied the chosen victim. At last Kyle shook his head and asked, "How do you know? She looks fine to me."

Eve frowned but pointed again, "Look closer. When she walks, one of her toes turns a funny way. She won't be able to run correctly. Therefore, slower. Perhaps not as quick in the turn. We'll see. It may not work."

They huddled there until finally Long Fang broke cover and spooked the herd. The ostrich like dinosaurs instantly bunched together and started running. They really did look beautiful doing it. Then another raptor joined the beta female and swung the herd in a different direction. A third raptor showed up, then a fourth. Eve tensed then as the herd came near her side, she jumped out herself and waved her arms, shouting.

The herd took another look and tried to spin on a dime away from this new strange creature. They panicked as they put on another spurt of energy. The female that Eve had pointed out swung wide, unable to do such a tight turn. That's when Broke Fang and her mate broke cover and leaped on her. The other raptors instantly dropped the run and swung to help them. It was soon over with one final shriek from the doomed dinosaur.

Emma panted with the excitement. That had been... _fantastic_. And even better...she had been able to photograph the entire action. Since they had known which dinosaur was the victim, she had been able to follow the entire hunt. But now that it was over...they all stared at Eve, still standing out in the open. This strange young woman...had predicted the hunt perfectly. Plus helped the raptors with it. It was so unusual it was mind blowing.

Owen had other thoughts. He had accepted the fact that Eve would know these things about the raptors. He pushed down the slight twinge of jealousy, for he had been the top raptor expert in the world.  _Had_. Eve now knew more about the raptors than  **any**  person in the world. But actually, he was okay with it. It was only stupid male pride getting in the way. He understood that she connected to the animals far better than humans. That was a moot point. Humans were terribly difficult to get. Look at him and his now non-existent love life. But Eve hadn't mentioned anything about her life before. The team had talked about this...and decided that it likely would be better if she connected with one of them first before they dragged her home. It would be better for her psychologically. But at the same time...the more time Eve spent with the dinosaurs, particularly the raptors...the more dangerous she got...


	9. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay with this chapter. I finished another story, then got stumped on this one. Enjoy, and remember: reviews are love!

Eve looked up at the skies. It was going to rain, and heavily. She sighed. Good thing they had a fresh kill. But that also meant that she couldn’t sleep out. Well, she  _ could _ , technically. But she would not be comfortable. And humans did tend to get sick when wet and cold. 

She pondered the alternative. That mean she would have to bunk in with the others. There was enough room, but still. There was  **four** of them, for heaven’s sake. Add her… and it was a lot in that cave. Why did there have to be four of them!?  

Grunting, she got up and wandered to the cave and peered in. At the moment, there was no one inside. It had been clear and sunny for quite some time, so Eve hadn’t needed this shelter. Now it seemed small and cramped looking, especially with all the sleeping bags inside.

A sudden noise behind her! Eve whirled with an automatic snarl, only to find Emma watching her. She had been down to the creek to wash up and her damp hair draped over one shoulder. “You looking for us, Eve? The boys are splashing around like idiots.”

That made the young woman snort and a small smile come to her lips. But she honestly replied, “No, I was just…. looking. Storm coming up.”

Emma looked up at the sky and noted the signs that Eve had already seen. She sighed and nodded, then snapped her gaze to Eve. Oh. Now she understood. The girl was uncertain of sharing such close quarters with them. “You can share my space with me. I’ll just kick my husband off to sleep someplace else,” she told her with a grin.

Cocking her head at the offer, Eve considered it. Then she shrugged. There was nothing for it. Emma smiled and instantly went inside and made up the sleeping bags extra comfortable for her and Eve. This should be fun, if Eve relaxed enough.

Finally, the men came back and stopped in surprise at Eve sitting cross legged inside the cave. Owen looked at her then curiously. Finally he sat down on his sleeping bag and gently said, “You remember that I was at the new Jurassic World. I had a pack of raptors. Granted, not like yours, but still.” He waved her over and pulled out his camera from his bag. “Look, I’ll show you.”

Again, Eve was unsure of how to handle this. She was interested… but unsure about  _ him _ . Chewing on her lip, she watched Owen for a good minute, then made up her mind. Eve walked over to sit next to him and look into the camera.

Owen smiled at this and pointed out, “See, that one is Blue. She was the beta raptor. I was alpha. That there is Delta. These two are Charlie and Echo.” He paused and looked again at Blue with a sigh. He did miss her. He respected her, just like she respected him. They had had a… relationship of sorts.

“You miss her,” Eve stated matter of factly. She had been watching his eyes and his expression. Then for the first time, she whispered, “I miss Lucy.” Then she shook the expression from her eyes and asked, “Which was your favourite?”

He looked at her closely with that and lifted his eyes to meet Emma’s over Eve’s head. She shook her head as in  _ be careful _ . Shrugging, Owen decided to let this slide and answered cheerfully, “Blue. She was so great! She saved me from the Indominus Rex. That was a fucking scary beast.”

“Indominus Rex?” Eve looked up at him in thought. Then she remembered, “Right, the thing that was… a mix of several dinosaurs?”

He nodded, “Yes, mainly Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus. That thing should never have happened.”

Shaking her head, she agreed, “I guess not. Raptors are smart. Rexes are… easily angered. Both territorial. Was it ugly like a Rex, or pretty like a Raptor?”

That got a laugh from Owen. He’d never thought of the raptors being “pretty”. But they did have nice streamlined figures. But he answered honestly, “She was was pretty...ugly. I guess. The mesh of the two was weird.”

Eve smiled a little, then replied, “Huh. I wouldn’t want to meet one. I wonder what it talked like? A raptor? Or a Rex? Or a bit of both?”

“The raptors understood it. But it did readily attack the Rex. So, I don’t know exactly,” Owen mused. It was a good question.

She pondered that a good while. Finally she decided, “Maybe it was raptor with a Rex accent. They do all sound different.” Nodding at that, she got up and made her way back to Emma and this time sat closer to her, more comfortable with her now. Emma looked at her fondly and tried an arm around her. Eve stiffened slightly at this contact… she had had none since… since Lucy, actually. She didn’t know how to react to this, so just sat there for a minute without acknowledgement. Eventually, Emma took her arm back and smiled. That had gone better than she thought. And she had acknowledged Lucy today! That was good… very good. It was a step in the right direction. 

Kyle grumbled slightly at not being able to be next to his wife but Shane poked him with a wicked grin, “It’s not like you’re going to…  _ do _ anything… while we’re all here, right? Or am I wrong… and you plan on burning our eyes and ears out?”

Everyone burst out laughing, even Eve, and Kyle flushed as red as a tomato. He  _ had _ just been thinking that he’d like his wife, but it would have been highly inappropriate. Emma snickered at him, then turned to Eve. The young woman was totally transformed with laughter. She was positively pretty when she laughed, and it looked like the weight of the world was off her shoulders.

Shane noticed especially. He liked her dancing eyes and the way she flipped her hair off to one side as she laughed at the unfortunate Kyle. Finally, Eve’s laughs died to giggles. It had been good to laugh like that. What had she been worried about, sleeping overnight with this group in the cave? If the rest of the evening went like this, then it would be okay.

The storm raged long into the night, but Eve was used to them by now. Still, she was awake early and looked over at the sleeping Emma. It was kind of nice sleeping near a human after all. She liked the raptor “pile” of young ones, but they had poked her a few times. And that hurt.

Eve got up to look outside. It seemed like the day would be clear. Good. She had a thought of looking for the Rex again. They hadn’t seen it yet since they’d come. That sounded like fun. Eve peered out and was suddenly joined by Broke Fang.  _ You are up early. Is everything alright? _

_ Actually, yeah. So far. I’m… starting to remember. And I’m not sure I want to. I like it here, _ Eve replied with a hand on Broke Fang’s snout.

The raptor looked at her carefully then back out to the forest,  _ We all belong with our own kind. _

Eve woud have answered when Broke Fang suddenly snarled viciously.  _ Stranger! Stranger! _

The snarls and snaps brought the team instantly awake, afraid of being attacked. But Owen saw in a moment that Broke Fang wasn’t attacking them. In fact, she wasn’t even looking their way. She and Eve were focused on one spot in the forest.

A cracking and splintering of wood could be heard. It was something… big. Very big. But who? The raptors always marked their territory very well. It couldn’t be some herbivore so close to the nest site with all the raptor tracks around. So perhaps it was a young predator, a stupid one at that.

Finally something emerged and growled loudly. It was a dinosaur similar to a Rex, but not. This one had a spiked horn coming from his snout. Owen whispered just loud enough for the others to hear, “Ceratosaurus.”

Broke Fang hissed at him to be quiet then snapped her attention back to the carnivore. He really shouldn’t be here. But something held her back from attacking him. He staggered in an odd way, and his growls didn’t sound right. He looked at them but didn’t seem truly focused on them either. He  _ purred _ . Owen had never heard such a sound from a Ceratosaurus before.

Then he did something very strange. He stalked over a tree, then started eating the bark. He bit deeply into the tree, crunched a few times, then staggered off with his head at an odd angle.

“He… he’s… he’s not supposed to do that, right?” Kyle finally said as he broke the silence.

“No.” That was from Shane, sharply. His veterinary instincts were tripping big time. Something was clearly wrong with this animal. “Eve? What did he say?”

But she was shaking her head in confusion. “I… I couldn’t hear him. He was… I couldn’t understand him.”

Owen stared at her and then at Broke Fang and pointed out, “She’s not attacking him. Shouldn’t she be upset about a large carnivore trespassing in her territory?”

Broke Fang growled softly as Eve asked her this question. There was a pause, then her answer was translated,  _ Spike Face sick. He sick bad. Bad for raptor. Best to let him leave. We will not touch him. _

Shane cocked his head curiously. He had heard of this, especially in wolves and other predators. They sensed when another was ill and would avoid it. “Sick how? Did he smell weird? I know he acted weird.”

_ Smell bad. Smell like rot. He bad, _ was all that Broke Fang would say. She honestly couldn’t explain anything else. Just that this could be dangerous.

The vet thought about this a long moment. His head was exploding with a long list of possibilities of what this could be. What was it? Was it contagious? Could the humans get it? Would it endanger Isla Sorna? They needed answers. And fast.  

  
  



	10. Redsail

"We need to get to that Cera, guys," Shane said as soon as the large dinosaur disappeared, even though he was currently wondering just how. A large predator like that was just plain dangerous. It was behaving very abnormally. The stagger, the strange expression in its eyes… all very bad signs. And the fact that Eve couldn't hear it was worst of all.

Owen asked the logical question, "Eve, has there ever been some animals you  _couldn't_  hear? What if this is one of them?"

Eve shook her head, "I can understand every dinosaur here. Same goes for mammals and reptiles and birds. Fish are...hard. And they don't seem to say a whole lot anyway. Point is, dinosaurs are understood by me just as well as I understand you talking. Even if you switch to Spanish, I will still understand you. Does that make sense?"

He nodded then sighed. "Shane, what does this look like to you? I've never seen this behaviour before." He thought back carefully on his experience at Jurassic World, but was coming up empty. Sometimes the animals would do stupid things, but this was definitely something odd.

The veterinarian looked at Owen then shook his own head, "I think it's something neurological. Just the way he staggers and tilts his head. I just hope it's just a one off." Now he turned to Eve again and asked her, "Have you seen him in the last while? As in not sick?"

She frowned at the question, but replied, "Um, not really. They're actually on the shy side. Like to feed on the other side of the island. They don't like bumping into the Rexes. So I guess this… neurological? Is that what you said? Anyways, this issue likely caused this blatant ignorance of territory boundaries. Usually the predators stick to them pretty hard."

Broke Fang purred softly and Eve turned to her. She rubbed the raptor's head in a way that made everyone stare at how comfortable she was with such a dangerous creature. But Eve turned back to them and translated, "She's going to go with the pack and territory mark, just to make sure. We might go along and see if we can find this dinosaur. And just hope it's just him."

That was agreeable to the team, and they soon got their stuff organized after a quick breakfast. Broke Fang left with the rest of the pack, leaving the humans behind. The pack would start on one end and work their way around their border. The team, not having the speed and swiftness of raptors, would see if they could make their way to where the Ceratosaurus had gone. Eve led the way in that direction after checking with the raptors and head bumping them all to be careful. To be safe, Snapp stayed behind with the young ones and the eggs.

Eve watched Silver Face disappear before sighing and leading off her own group. They trekked for some time, watching for any signs of the sick Cera. There were a few broken trees that were made by a large dinosaur, and the Stones were quick to point those out. Owen frowned and agreed with Eve, "Ceras are shy, and they like to be as unobtrusive as possible. This one is clearly… not right in the head."

Eve had to smile briefly at that before turning her attention back to her task. They explored a little bit, and crossed the Brach Meadow. She stopped long enough to ask Momma,  _Hey, did you see a weird Spike Face pass this way? He's sick and we're trying to find him._

The kindly Brachiosaur took a good look around but shook her head,  _No, little one, though I did hear a strange roaring. It came from that way._  She pointed her head in the direction she had heard it.

 _Thanks, Momma. We'll definitely check that out right away,_  Eve replied with a smile. Then she passed along Shane's warning,  _Be careful. If you see anyone acting odd, let us know. We hope it's just him that's sick._

Momma grunted in agreement, and promised she would watch. That wouldn't be too difficult at her height. She would keep a good look out. She liked Eve, very much, and was happy to see humans on the island again, as long as they were nice, of course. She did remember that time when the dinosaurs were hunted, and some put in cages. Momma herself wasn't bothered with, for she was far too large. But she hadn't liked seeing the activities going on. She liked this team, however, and again purred happily at them.

Eve grinned up at her, glad to have the gentle dinosaur on their side. Then she led the way past the meadow and to the other side of the valley. She looked at the water and cocked her head. Was it a lake or a pond? It seemed to small for one and too large for the other. Shaking her head at herself for getting distracted over such a small mundane detail that meant nothing in the long run, Eve glanced back at the team. Seeing that they were all fine, she now went straight to the large ginkgo tree that marked one of the borders of the territories.

Owen watched as Eve looked around carefully and a bit nervously. It wasn't often she was on this side. The Rex and raptors, Eve got along with just fine. The Ceras were loners, and never bothered her. It was the Spinosaurus that was incredibly cranky. Luckily, he liked water best and tended to stay close to the ocean and hunted along there with the tides. It was still a risk, but a sick dinosaur with an unknown disease was worth said risk.

The team finally found tracks that were large enough and erratic enough to be the Cera's. They started following that, wondering what they'd find at the end of it. They saw evidence that he had crashed into a few trees… Shane wondered if it was going blind, perhaps… and also noticed the tracks tended to curve off the left. This was common with a head tilt; often the animal would tend to turn one way or the other, seeming unable to go the other. The sooner they found him, the better for all involved.

A scream came from Emma as she tripped on something. Everyone froze and stared at her, baffled as she started to laugh. "Sorry, guys, I didn't mean to scare you all. Look what I found though!" She pointed at the offended small animal that hurried off. Owen smiled and shook his head. He'd forgotten the small Microceratops they had introduced. They were like very, very small Triceratops, but with stubs instead of horns. Very cute, actually. And very harmless. Emma flushed with embarrassment, "Sorry again! It was lying down and I thought it was just a rock. It moved when I bumped into it. And I offended it, the poor thing!"

They shared a chuckled at her expense… it  _had_  been funny after all, then moved on. There were a few roars ahead, but nothing too close or threatening enough to worry. But they did not hear the strange roar of the sick Cera. Could he be down already? That made them hurry. At last, Eve found a clearing and looked around carefully. It was empty, but looks could always be deceiving.

She stared around a very long time, immobile, using her eyes and ears, both the inner and outer ones to decide whether it was safe to move. She heard nothing except the squeaks of small animals. Relaxing slightly, Eve stepped into view, but stopped again to look around again. One more step, then another, then she decided that there really was no one here. The team followed her carefully, trusting her to know if there was danger or not. They had hiked down to the other side when suddenly there was a great roar. Eve spun around with a sharp breath, "Dammit, I didn't think he would be here!"

Owen was quick to snap, "Everyone  **freeze**!" His warning was unneeded, as the freeze reflex took over everyone. Only Eve moved forward in curiosity and wariness. Was it...she peered through the leafy fronds and cursed. Yes, it was Redsail. The male Spinosaurus. She could just see the reddish waving sail. Actually, didn't it look redder than usual? Yeah, it did. Quickly, Eve backed up until she accidentally backed into Kyle, who happened to be behind her. In a low murmur, she said, "It's the Spinosaurus. He's...in rut."

Kyle snapped up his head. If he was like a predator version of an elk… this could be bad. An stag or buffalo, or anything like that would attack anything at a moment's provocation. Or even without. In a whisper, he asked, "Can he be… reasoned with?"

Shrugging, Eve replied, "I've never tried to reason with a large predatorial dinosaur full of raging testosterone. Always figured that was a bad idea."

Emma couldn't help the snort, but had to agree. That would indeed be a bad idea. Her question was, "Can we get around him? In one piece?"

Flipping her black hair over one shoulder, wincing as she caught a snag, Eve considered their position in relation to Redsail. She checked the wind and decided he was walking off to the west, into the wind. That made sense… he was looking for females. The trouble was, Eve wasn't sure if there actually  _were_  other females. She had rarely been on this side of the island. She could be wrong. But if there weren't...he'd stay mad. The fact remained that they had to get around him. Eve could try to tiptoe them to the right, but a glance there told her there were an awful lot of bushes. It would just take one snap to get Redsail's attention.

This was verified immediately when Shane moved one step over to balance his weight better. He stepped on a small dry stick. The resulting  _snap_  echoed louder than he thought even possible. The large Spinosaurus swung his head over in their direction, a deep growl emanating from his throat.

"Fuck it, just run! That way!" Eve shoved at the offending Shane. The team didn't need a second order and booked it. But she didn't follow them. Instead, she acted as a lame dinosaur and broke away from the group, trying to get Redsail's notice. It worked, as he looked more in her direction than the retreating humans. Now he roared loudly and stomped in her direction. Eve stood still for one moment, seeing if her gift would work at all,  _Redsail? It's me, Eve. I'm a friend. Not something to eat._

_YOU NOT MATE. YOU ENEMY. I EAT! I WANT MATE._

Well, that answered a whole lot of questions. Redsail was  **not**  going to listen to reason at this time. Therefore...run. Eve wheeled and ran in a different direction than the team, for she knew she could catch up to them later. The trouble was, where would she run? Some place small. She needed a small place. He had a long snout though, so that gave him an advantage over… a rex, for example.  _Crap, crap, crap!_  Her feet pounded in the dirt, a roar at her heels spurring her on faster. A quick glance at the pond...should she try that? No, he hunted in water. Where? There! A clearing! She wondered if that was just a bad idea but hey, she was running out of ideas at this point.

She broke out into the clearing, glancing back at the large shape emerging from the forest. There he was, his red sail clear in the sunshine, and so were his gaping jaws and teeth. Eve ran without looking ahead, only trying to look back and see just how fast his sprint was. Then she ran  _into_  something, and fell back with a startled grunt. Looking ahead now, Eve saw dinosaur scales in front of her face and then sudden movement as the creature squealed and spooked away from the dinosaur. Confused, Eve suddenly found herself  _in the middle of an Edmontosaurus herd._  Which were now stampeding from the Spinosaurus. She had to roll over to her feet and dodge a bunch of panicky large dinosaurs and hope to hell she didn't get squished. Or eaten. That too.

Finally, Eve saw a space and dashed for that. There was a loud roar to her left and she glanced that way. Redsail had found his meal at last and had captured an unfortunate Edmontosaurus. Well, that meant he'd be busy for a while. Gasping for breath, she went in search of the team, who was who knew where. Hopefully they were alright. Her breath was ragged and her heart was still pounding from the run and adrenaline, when she staggered into someone's chest. Arms wrapped around her and Owen said, "Hey, you okay? What the hell happened?"

"Redsail...chased. I ran...to clearing. Bumped...into Edmontosaurus. Fell. Stampeded the herd. Got out. Redsail...caught one. Fine now," she panted out in gasps.

Owen stared, and rolled his eyes, "That was... _incredibly stupid!_  You could have gotten hurt! Or killed! What made you think to do that?"

Eve gave a weak laugh and said, "Uh, just reacted? I wanted to keep  **you**  safe. Think I did that. A bit too well, apparently." She shrugged off Owen's arms, not wanting the human contact right now and huffed at Shane, "Really? You just had to move, didn't you?"

Raising his arms up, he was quick to apologize, "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it! But I'm glad you're okay, Eve. I'll make it up to you sometime. Somehow, alright?" He waited for the nod, knowing by now Eve likely would snub him for a good while. He felt bad, he really did, for doing such a stupid thing. She could have lost her life. Hell, the entire team could have been in danger. It was only because of her very quick thinking...and some luck… that the situation wasn't worse. He'd be much more careful from here on in. He followed her and Owen quietly, but a squeeze on his shoulder made him look up. Emma smiled softly at him and gave a friendly nod. They were okay. No one had gotten hurt or died. And with Eve helping them… they were one hell of a team. He smiled back, feeling a bit better. Now they just had to find this Cera.


	11. Disease

The team made their way along without too much further interruptions. Eve talked quietly to the others, but snubbed Shane hard as punishment for his foolish error. Finally they heard a weak roar and hurried in that direction. Despite the sound, they still had trouble locating the Cera. The thing was surprisingly well camouflaged despite its size.

At last they came to a heavily ferned area that had clear tracks through. Eve led the group as they cautiously stepped through. And there, in front of them, among the ferns, was the Cera, collapsed on the ground. He panted heavily, made spasmodic jerks before stopping to rest. Shane circled around to his head to observe the sick dinosaur. The predator was not interested in them at all, being too weak.

What greatly concerned the veterinarian was the way the spasms rippled through the Cera's body. He'd curl his head backward in an odd posture before coming back to normal position. The Cera would try lie on his sternum, but spasms made him jerk and lie flat before he apparently recovered and would again roll to his sternum.

Eve watched from a safe distance. It was clear that he wasn't together enough to try to attack them, but still, there was something clearly wrong with him. Emma snapped plenty of pictures as her husband did the same from a different angle. Owen requested, "Shane, tell us your thoughts aloud. What's happening to him?" He got a notebook and pen, ready to write down whatever Shane said.

The vet nodded and spoke aloud as he paced about, jumping back as necessary. He did not touch the dinosaur but made his observations. "He appears to be having seizures. Pupils are dilated." He dug in his backpack and drew out a flashlight and shone them into the Cera's eyes. "Unresponsive to light. Also unequal pupil size.

The eyes are also running… strange. He makes unknown noises…" here Shane broke off and asked Eve, "Does he say anything? Or at the very least, do they sound like that?"

But the young woman shook her head, "I still can't hear him. And no, he's actually too vocal. Ceras are normally quiet. They roar on occasion, yes, but in a deeper tone than that. And the other sounds are too strange for him."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Shane kept up his commentary, "Breathing is heavy. Muscle tremors especially on right side. Seems unable to stand or maintain posture. Curled head posture backwards. Lower jaw slack and drooling. Licks lips constantly. Seems unfoc- oh shit!"

Shane stared at the dinosaur in horror. Everyone froze and stopped at once what they were doing and snapped eyes on the veterinarian. Finally, Owen broke the silence except for the noises the sick Cera was making. "Uh...Shane? What is it? You know what is wrong with it?"

Whispering, the vet replied, "Oh, yeah. I do. I just didn't think it possible." Straightening up, he put on a more professional tone as he looked around at the rest of the team. "This Ceratosaurus is dangerously ill. He's got rabies."

"Rabies?!" Emma gasped. Looking at the struggling dinosaur, it suddenly made sense. The agitation, all of it. He had rabies. This wasn't good at all. "What do we do? We have to put him down, obviously, but how did he get it?"

Here Owen answered that, "I'd say a bat, most likely. There are some around. That's likely how he got it."

Kyle was confused after the shock wore off, "Reptiles can't get rabies though. How did that happen? Is it some sort of mutation?"

But Shane shook his head, "Reptiles can't, you're right. Same as birds, fish, and insects. But mammals can. Warm blooded creatures can. And dinosaurs are definitely warm blooded. They aren't exactly reptiles, though they do have characteristics of them, like the scales and laying of eggs. They're definitely warm blooded."

"Right, I forgot," Kyle replied. "You're right, they are. They're too big and agile to be cold. So, it's rabies. He does show too many signs to be anything else. Okay. Owen? You got that dart gun, right? Do you want to do it, or me?"

Owen sighed. He never liked putting animals down, even if it was necessary. Nevertheless, he was no coward and firmly accepted his role of team leader, "No, I'll do it. I'll just overdose him. He'll go peacefully." Owen put his pack down and went for the rifle case. He put together the gun with the dart at the ready. He looked up at the dinosaur who was now moaning and trying desperately to swallow. They had to do this. It was a cruel way to go. Standing up and shouldering the rifle, Owen aimed for the spot on the Cera's neck where the great life giving vein ran. If he got in there, it would be over that much faster. A crack, and the dart lodged in the dinosaur's neck, right where he had hoped it would go.

"Nice shot," Emma murmured as she watched the Cera carefully. She wanted to be ready in case he reacted badly. There had been cases of animals seemingly on death's door who had leaped up and either attacked or ran before the sedative kicked in. She did not want to be in the way of this one.

The Ceratosaurus roared loudly as the pain shot through his neck. He tried to get up and almost got all the way up before he crashed down again, whipping his tail wildly. He bellowed again, finding his legs paralysed. He thrashed about in brief panic before the sedation calmed him again. Owen watched very carefully to see if he had calculated the dosage correctly. It would be just his luck if he had given too little. The Cera panted again, its eyes unfocused. Gradually the breathing slowed down and the muscles stilled. At last, the dinosaur gave one last shuddering breath before it lay completely still, never to move again.

Shane now stepped forward to the huge chest and leaned his ear on it. He heard the great heart give one more thump, then stop entirely. "He's gone," he announced quietly. The team was sober as they looked at the now dead creature. Such a large and beautiful creature, gone because of a tiny virus.

Owen's voice was a bit husky but business like as he stated, "We have to get rid of the body before anything else can get at it. Usually they're supposed to be buried. Or burned. I guess burning will have to do."

Now Eve asked, "Is it safe to touch it? I thought if you touched a rabid animal, you could get it?"

Shane was patient as he explained, "No, it's only through the salivary glands. It's safe to touch it. You also can't get rabies if you're exposed to the blood, urine, or feces. The only other way you could get exposed is if you were to handle the brain tissue, but obviously that's not going to happen here. Just don't touch his mouth or anything he's bitten, and you're okay."

"Huh," Eve replied, deep in thought. Then she looked at him, "Anything he's bitten? Shane, he's a predator. He'll have gone hunting. Won't he have infected other dinosaurs?"

The vet snapped his eyes at her at this logical question. "Damn. Yes. The normal course of disease is that from the onset of symptoms, they usually live only about five days. A week if they're lucky. But they carry it much longer. As in around three to twelve weeks." He let that sentence hang in the air ominously.

"So there's other infected animals out there, " Owen finally said with a sigh. This was not good at all. But he was a practical sort of man and concentrated at the task at hand, "Let's worry about that after we get rid of this body. Then we can go from there."

Eve stepped up to that, "I can make a fire easily. Just get the body ready so the whole thing will burn." She watched and helped the others gather dry wood and sticks and grass, placing it around and over the Ceratosaurus. It took a long while but at last they were satisfied with the amount of tinder. Eve had her trusty bag of steel wool and her battery that she carried with her whenever she was away from the nest site. She lit the nearest piece of grass with that method and then stepped back to watch the fire spread over the dinosaur's body.

Emma murmured, "That was a cool trick… steel wool and a battery. Very sensible and easy." Then she fell silent as the flames licked at the Cera, its eyes seeming to glow in the light. Now she turned away, "I don't want to watch this."

"Nor do I," Eve agreed. With that, the team gathered their things up and left, the crackling of wood still ringing in their ears. They walked a long way before they were met by Long Fang, who growled at them curiously. Eve took the time to tell her that the Spike Face was dead and they wouldn't need to worry about him anymore.

That brought relief to the raptor, who gladly led the group back to the nesting site and the cave. Owen glanced at Eve and asked her quietly, "Did you tell her about the rabies?"

"No. Not now. It'll be better if Broke Fang knows first. And besides, how do I explain a thing like rabies to them? They won't understand. All they know is that it makes the dinosaur sick. But if it's like what Shane said… they won't know until too late that they've eaten a sick dinosaur." Now Eve was struck by that thought, "Owen! What if they're all infected? Or me? I could be infected too."

Owen laid a hand on Eve's, startling her with the human contact. But his touch was steady and comforting as it was firm, "You don't know that, Eve. You don't know that at all. I wouldn't worry about it now. Now we know what it is. The next step is to find out if there's others infected. And which ones. If it's going to spread or not. Then we go from there. But you can't worry about that now. It's not likely, Eve, unless you were bitten or exposed to the saliva with a scratch or something." He gave her an encouraging smile, even though he was worried in the back of his head. She did have a higher probability than the rest of them did. She roughhoused with the raptors. The young ones sometimes did mouth her. But he'd keep a close eye on all of them, just in case.


	12. Growing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I'm REALLY sorry for such a late update! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! :)

That's my food, don't touch!  _Xena growled as she hovered over her dog bowl. The black German_ _shepherd flattened her ears at Eve as the little girl went too close to her for comfort. The six year old was nice, but still, Xena didn't like_ anyone  _going near her kibble. It was hers!_

_Eve watched curiously as the Shepherd scarfed down some more kibble and asked, "Is it really that yummy?"_

It's crunchy and it's mine,  _was the answer with a short tail wag. She then looked at Eve curiously and sat down. This small human was something to protect. She was part of the family. She loved Eve with all her doggy heart, but there seemed to be something curious about her. Tilting her head, she woofed softly,_ Did you want to try some?

_The black haired girl smiled and nodded. The big dog considered, and then moved away from the bowl, lying down. Eve came and happily sat down by Xena and scooped up some kibble in her little hands and popped one into her mouth. She wrinkled her nose and said, "Ew! It is crunchy, but it's not that yummy. Maybe it tastes better to you than me."_

" _Eve! No!" Her mother dashed into the kitchen shouting. She stopped dead at the sight of Xena wagging her tail. She knew the dog was food reactive and had constantly been teaching her daughter not to touch_ anything  _of Xena's. Toys were okay. Bones and chews were not. Even her husband couldn't even pet Xena when she was eating. And here was Eve, actually trying to_ eat  _her kibble! And Xena was letting her. Nevertheless, she moved slowly, "Eve? Baby, leave Xena's food alone. I'm glad she likes to share with you, but dog food isn't people food."_

" _That's okay, Mommy. I don't like it much anyway," Eve told her mother as she dropped the rest of the kibble back in the dog bowl and gave her pet a hug._

" _How did she even share with you, I'll never know, Eve. But don't scare mommy like that, okay?" her mother gave her little one a kiss on the cheek and eyed Xena, who was still thumping her black tail._

 _Eve giggled and said, "Oh, I asked her. She said it was okay. She said it was hers, but she let me try some just to see." She giggled again and poked at the dog's nose, making her sneeze,_ Hey! That tickled!

_Frowning slightly, her mother told her, "Evie darling, dogs don't talk. You might have been bitten if she wasn't so nice. Next time, ask mommy or daddy instead of Xena. Just in case."_

" _But they do talk, mommy! Xena talks and Chewie the cat talks, and the birds…" Eve protested in puzzlement. Of course they talked. They had lots to say. Xena would ask for her toys, Chewie would hunt for mice and do a little running conversation of what he was doing, and the birds… well, the birds argued a lot._

" _Well, they don't talk like humans. They bark or meow or chirp, you're right. But come on, Eve, I got you a little present! Come and see!"_

Eve sat up with a jerk. She remembered that day still all too clearly. That was the day she realized she was different. And it didn't matter what she said to her parents. They simply didn't believe that animals had their own thoughts and that she could hear them. She had tried tons of times until they had gotten annoyed and would ignore her. But Xena, dear old Xena, had been her constant companion. But when Xena had passed on, and Chewie, her parents had never gotten her another pet after that, hoping that the "games" would stop. She missed them still, even if it had been years. And what with college and looking for work… there hadn't been time to get another pet.

She hadn't realized she'd been panting from the memory and the pain she'd felt from it when a soft voice that was  _not_  her mother's asked, "Eve? You okay? Bad dream?"

She looked around into Emma's blue eyes and sighed. No she wasn't home. No she wasn't six anymore. She was here, on Isla Sorna, with the team. "Uh, yeah. Something like that."

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm here for you, you know that right, Eve?" Emma gently told the younger woman.

She had to sigh at that. Emma was so nice. She really was. But it was just…  _everything_. She had blocked her life out, and had been living one day at a time. She'd been doing  _fine._  But if her memories were starting to crash back on her again… that wasn't good, was it? She liked her new life in the forest. It was better than her old life. Eve was Eve, and no one questioned her.

Again the soft voice poked through her thoughts, "Eve? You're remembering, aren't you?"

Pissed now, Eve exploded, " **Yes! I'm remembering! Happy now?!** " She stood up, mindful of the ceiling of the cave and stomped out. Why had she even been there in the first place? On a moonlit night? She normally slept with the raptors. She'd go there now, even if it was only a few hours before dawn.

Silver Face was on sentry duty tonight and purred when she saw Eve.  _Welcome little chick. Tired of your human friends?_

 _Something like that, Silver Face. I just want peace and quiet!_ She growled at her friend a bit unfairly. Then Eve sighed and rubbed her face, apologizing,  _I'm sorry, Silver Face. It's just… I don't know._

The raptor only nuzzled her and offered to watch over Eve as she rested the last bit of the night. Grateful to the motherly dinosaur, Eve curled up in her usual spot and fell asleep to the raptor's purrs. Thankfully, what dreams she did have were all from here, and she woke up much better refreshed. After having a quick breakfast, Eve's eyes were alight with interest as she watched Broke Fang, as did the rest of the pack. There seemed to be something interesting going on.

Broke Fang was taking her time though. She purred, groomed herself, and mulled over what they might do today. At last she snapped her claws and bounced on the spot,  _Today we hunt. All of us._

It took a moment for that to sink in, then the adult raptors were quite excited. That meant the chicks were coming too! Eve was seriously happy about this. The eggs would be fine. They could be covered and left for a while. Today was a very important day for the raptor chicks. Today they would experience a hunt, and if they so chose to, participate in it. They'd been hunting little insects and small mammals of course for a while, but this was another step on the road to adulthood.

Broke Fang considered the three nameless chicks. If they did well today, they would get their names today as well. The young female had an interesting black stripe over one eye. The bigger male was bold. The smaller male seemed shyer, but well built for all that. Long Fang nuzzled them all proudly, for they were her chicks, even if Broke Fang laid down the law. They seemed excited and puzzled at the same time. She finally turned to Eve and said,  _If you would like the humans to come as well, tell them then. We are going to the Honker's lake._

Eve paused in hesitation before nodding. She knew exactly where they were headed. Honkers were the name the raptors had given the Corynthosauruses. She called them Corys. But Honkers did very well too, for they did indeed make a honking sound. She turned back to the cave, pleasantly surprised to see that everyone was up and pretty much ready. She avoided Emma's eyes as she announced, "The raptor chicks are having their first hunt. They want to catch a Cory, so that's where we're going."

Kyle smiled in genuine interest. It was always really neat when the predators started teaching their young how to hunt. And now they'd get to see some behaviour perhaps that had never before been recorded. This was very good. He packed up quickly and was armed with his camera and followed Eve. He asked in curiosity, "Why the Corys?"

"Because they are a bit slower and easier to catch for the chicks. The Three Horns are a bit dangerous for now, same as the Spike Tails. The chicks need something small and easy to corner. Just watch. You'll see how it's done," Eve explained, wanting to be gruff, but somehow failing.

The pack did have a bit of a time trying to keep the young raptors quiet. The female and the smaller male were a bit better at it than the larger male however. But they were still all noisy. At last they reached the lake and made the babies shut up, which Broke Fang did with a glare. They watched the Corys to see how the larger dinosaurs were spread out around the lake. They would have to do a sneak attack so the herbivores didn't just jump into the water. The trick was surprising them and getting in between them and the water.

The chicks had wide eyes as Broke Fang and Long Fang circled around one way, while Rip Maw and Snapp went the other way. That left Silver Face and Sharp Claw to bring up the rear with the chicks and hoped they figure out what to do. The team settled themselves where Eve told them and watched with anticipation. They knew the likelihood of a successful hunt with brand new chicks were poor, but that didn't stop them from rooting the young ones on their next step of survival.

Broke Fang finally broke cover and she was immediately met with loud honking from the big male Corythosaurus. The alarm cry spread throughout the herd, and the nearest dinosaurs to the lake immediately jumped in. The ones further out called in alarm as they made their way over. There were three quite a bit further away, but their way was blocked by the two male raptors. Squealing and honking, the three Corys were confused of which way to go. Silver Face noted especially the smallest Cory, a young male perhaps of two or three years old. Perfect for the chicks. Sharp Claw agreed and started running towards that dinosaur.

The chicks were startled. They had seen the largest Cory and had started sprinting toward it, but stopped when the adult raptors had selected a different target. Not knowing where to go they watched for a moment, but then the female got her brain together and followed Silver Face. The two males soon followed. They instinctively pounced on the young dinosaur, digging their claws into its flesh. The rest of the raptor back surrounded the victim, but let the chicks do most of the work. They only stepped in if the Cory went the wrong way, or started flinging around too much. One of the chicks had already been thrown by accident.

The little female finally made a lucky grab and snagged her mouth on the Cory's throat. This greatly slowed it down to her pride and surprise. The young males weakened the dinosaur with further injuries. The female had it right, but she wasn't strong enough to actually kill the Cory. Her mother, Long Fang, helped her with that.

When the Cory had finally taken his last breath, now the young raptors were confused again. What should they do now? Food had always just been brought to them in chunks. They stared at it, almost expecting it to dissolve into chunks, but nothing happened. This was puzzling. Broke Fang snorted in amusement and tore into the the dinosaur to show them what to do. As soon as the smell of blood hit the chicks' nostrils, instinct once again and they jumped squealingly on their meal.

Eve had smiled at the chicks' success. It was good, very good! No one had gotten hurt, and they had done well. If they made it to adulthood, they would be a very good addition to the pack. The raptors milled around, and encouraged the chicks with gentle squawks and purrs. They now noted the female had a red patch that wasn't blood on her muzzle. Eve translated with a happy smile, "Red Snout. She is now Red Snout." She waited to hear what they might call the two males. "The bigger one is Pouncer. The other is… Black Tail. He does have a black tip to his tail."

Owen grinned at the names warmly. "I like those names. So that makes it… nine raptors so far? A good pack."

"If the babies make it," reminded Eve. "Silver Face lost her chicks, and she had two. I think they had a poor year last year as well, and none of the chicks made it. But so far so good. And there are the eggs still." But it was good news, very good news that the three young raptors had come so far and they had their first hunt and names. And with practice, they would become an integral part of the pack.


	13. Thoughts of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Another chapter done! Let me know how you are liking this story so far!

The newly named raptors bounced and ran in excitement. Eve kept a close eye on them as they started back. They were quite bubbly and playful, and she had a bit of a hard time staying out of their way. As it was, even Owen got accidentally knocked over. But he grinned, knowing they hadn't meant it. "They're little buggers, aren't they?" Then he had to shove Red Snout away as she rubbed against him.

Eve laughed, and was proud of the little ones. Well, not so little now, were they? Then there were the eggs. They should be hatching soon, hopefully. It was a good thing that the young ones would be able to help with the hunting now. With some practice of course.

She put a hand on Silver Face's side, and softly murmured,  _I know what you're thinking. Your little ones that you lost, aren't you?_

 _Yes, but that is life,_  the raptor purred. She'd not had any luck yet with her own babies, but one day, she hope she would. But she was still young yet. There would be more chances in the coming years. She was amused at how high Pouncer was bouncing, trying to incite Black Tail to do the same, but the smaller male was simply unable to get to Pouncer's heights. That was alright. What Black Tail lacked in agility, he might make up for intelligence. He tended to watch the others more, then decide what to do. That was not a bad thing at all.

Owen held a little mini conference back at the cave once Eve had gone. He looked at his group and asked them all, "Well, we've spent a good amount of time here. Do you think it's safe to bring Eve back home again? And we have done quite a lot of photo evidence that the island is surviving well. But what do you all think?"

Emma was the first to speak, "Well, I don't know. I think Eve needs more time. She's just got used to being with us, poor thing. And she's starting to remember. You know she blocked out what happened before the accident, and how integrated she is here. The raptors accepted her. She's not struggling. But I think… and this is just my personal say… that she needs more time to accept the real thing."

Kyle nodded his agreement, "Yes, that's true. She got made at Emma for provoking memories. She needs to get past that, and want to return. We could force her of course, but I hardly think that would be the right thing to do for her, both morally and for her health." He put a hand into his wife's and gave her a smile that he was with her. With everything.

Shane spoke up as well, "Barring the Eve situation, we still have the rabies scare. We took care of the rabid dinosaur. But I think we should check and see if there are any others out there. A lot of work was put into this place. It would be a shame if it was all destroyed by a virus."

Owen gazed at them all and then smiled. "I agree with you all. I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. I was reluctant to leave as well. I think Eve needs more time, and we can see about maybe some preventative measures for the island itself. Good. We're in agreement. We stay for a while longer."

"When do you have to touch base with Diana or Roy?" Emma reminded him. "Since they are our… employers after all. Tell them we plan to stay for a little bit longer than we planned?"

The sandy haired man nodded, and replied, "Was supposed to be tomorrow. But I can do it today. Right now, actually. Since we know what we're doing." He got up, taking care not to bang his head on the ceiling, and made his way over to his bag and pulled out the satellite phone.

He dialed the number taped on the phone so he didn't have to remember it, and waited while it rang. It buzzed in his ear a few times before a male voice answered,  _Hello?_

"Hey, Roy, it's Owen. I know we were suppose to contact you tomorrow, but today was a good day."

_That's alright. Everything okay? Have you found the girl yet?_

Owen sighed and carefully replied, "Yeah, we did. She's okay. She's more than okay. She… uh… made friends with the raptors. She's fine."

_Made friends with the raptors?! How the hell… alright. I expect a full report later. Are you guys ready to come back with her?_

"Um, no, actually. We wanted to stay here a bit longer if that's alright with you guys. We've been doing a ton of… research. And Eve isn't quite there mentally, we don't think," he answered, hoping for not too many questions right now.

_Oh, okay. Let me check with Diana, alright? You sure about that? Her parents sure would like her home. She's okay? She's not hurt? And you are all okay?_

"Yes, we're all fine. A few bumps and scratches here and there, but we're all alive. Eve and the raptors have done a great job of that. It's… hard to explain right now. But Emma says Eve has blocked all the trauma out of her head. Her friend died, you know. And she's been surviving here. We feel if… we brought her back to civilization now… she'd not take it… very well, if you understand me."

_Okay, I understand. I just sent Di a message, and she's asking a few questions too. She's okay with the girl staying if the team is with her. But what else has been happening? With the research? Isla Sorna is doing alright?_

Now Owen grinned, even though he knew the other man couldn't see it. His voice was enthusiastic, "Oh, yeah, it's great actually. Eve has been showing us around. We've seen so much natural behaviours from the dinosaurs. It's been amazing. So amazing." He paused then admitted, "There's only been one really bad thing. There was a Ceratosaurus… he had rabies. We tracked him and put him down, but…" he let his words trail off.

_Rabies? Are you sure? Oh now, I'm being stupid. Of course you're sure. You have a veterinarian with you. That's not good, Mr. Grady. Do you believe that this animal was a one off?_

"That's what we need to be certain of, sir." Owen looked around at the group before he continued, "It's just better for us if we stay. For Eve. To make sure the animals are fine and we don't need to take any… further steps."

_Yes, it would be a shame to destroy more animals. Alright, then, Owen. Diana has given me approval based on your answers. You have got another two weeks. But you should check in more. And Owen?_

"Yes, sir?"

_When Eve is ready… tell her her parents would like very much to speak to her. But only when she's ready. I'll… tell them she's okay._

Owen nodded again, then replied softly, "Yeah. I'll tell her. I promise to get her out of here." With that he said good bye and and hung up. He put the phone away in its safe place and looked around at the team. "Well, guys, we can stay!"

They cheered a bit, and gave each other excited looks. More time with the dinosaurs was great. Owen grinned back then sat down, saying, "One thing. Roy is going to tell Eve's parents that she's okay and alive. But… when should we tell Eve? They're going to want to talk to her. Is it too soon? Emma?"

The woman pursed her lips, "Well, she got pretty angry at me for the last memories. I don't know. I guess… all we can do is try to mention things." She perked up with an idea, "Hey, why don't we sort of lead the way with this? I know her meal times are… odd… but she knows when we like having our supper. So, why don't we start talking of home and our families and that, while she's with us? Don't include her. Just a bit of catch up among ourselves. And see what happens then?"

Kyle was proud of his wife, and rubbed her shoulder to tell her that, "I love that idea. It's indirect, and I'd like to learn more about the rest of you anyways. All we've chatted about so far is our jobs and the dinosaurs. I'm down for this!"

Shane grinned and nodded, "Yeah, I like that too. I'm in."

Owen looked around at everyone and smiled as well. He teased, "You sure you're not a psychologist? If not, I think I think I see a second career for you!"

Swatting at him, Emma mock glared, and firmly told him, "Nope! Humans are dumb. Give me animals any day!"

"But, Em...humans  _are_  animals…" Kyle tried to protest, although he had a twinkle in his eye.

Shane started laughing, and couldn't stop. He slapped his knee, and gasped for breath in between laughs. His laugh was contagious, and soon they were all laughing fit to kill. When they all finally recovered from their laugh attack, Shane wiped the tears from his eyes, "Oh gosh! I needed that so bad! You two are… hilarious together. You're definitely made for each other."

Glancing at his wife warmly, Kyle answered, "I know. I'll tell you how we met when we have our little get together. But I keep her laughing. And she does to me! She's perfect for me." He leaned down and kissed her on the temple softly and interlocked fingers with hers as he sat closer.

Owen gave them a smile, then went back outside to see how the day was shaping up. He could hear the raptors snarling from here, but he was used to the sounds by now, and understood they were just playing. He thought about Blue, where she was, and how she might have been had she been free like this. She had been one cool animal. He missed her somehow. But he thought she would be okay somehow.

Later, the team had sat down for their dinner. Kyle had found some edible plant and actually it tasted really good roasted over the fire. Eve had come down interestedly. She still vacillated between the raptors and them, and it was quite understandable. That natural instinct for one's own kind was very much there with Eve. And now she curled up under a tree and watched the going ons with interest.

Owen was the first to ask after some usual banter, "So, Kyle, you said you were gonna tell us how you and Emma met? Would love to hear that story."

Kyle looked at Emma for permission to be the one to tell it, and at her grin, he smiled at the others. "Well, it was in Africa. I was researching hyenas. She was doing lions. And if you know anything, the two are mortal enemies. But you often see them together. So we kept bumping into each other more often than not. It was… annoying! Out of all the prides, she chose the one in the same area I was doing my hyena pack! We butted heads big time. At first, that is." He snuck a look at Emma who was smiling, and continued, "One day I was taking pictures of a secretary bird and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I stepped backwards into a hole, tumbled down the bank, and fell into the river."

"A river full of crocs…" added Emma with a smirk. She now took up the tale, "I had been down in the gully because there was a male lion in there that had been injured. I'd lost him and was trying to figure out where he was. I saw the guy drop out of the sky almost and just managed to snatch him out of the river before the crocs noticed. He was covered in mud, and it was unbelievable! Those cameras are bloody expensive… and here he was, waving it around over his head, and it wasn't in the least bit hurt. I still can't believe it to this day."

Swatting at her, Kyle continued, "I sprained my ankle. Her vehicle was the closest. After berating me from pillar to post, she agreed to take me back to her camp with her friends, since mine was further out. The rest is… history, so they say." He grinned sheepishly at the others' laugh.

Owen had to shake his head. He could believe it. Then it seemed to be his turn as Emma asked, "You were in the armed forces, weren't you, Owen? How did you get into that?"

He nodded at her then smiled, "My dad. He was in the army. I admired him so much. But when I got older and decided to join the forces, I decided to go Navy instead. It just… seemed weird to me if I got into his unit or something. I know it would have been unlikely and all, but…" Owen paused to think of how to explain it. "I had my dad to look up to for things, but I also wanted to strike out on my own. Guess I did do that when I joined up with InGen." He laughed now and told them with a grin, "He still hasn't seen a dinosaur yet, even though I invited him before Jurassic World was open! Thinks they're all just big cows. Which I guess he's not wrong…"

Shane snorted in amusement, "If you're talking about the brachs, I suppose so."

Owen laughed again and shrugged, "Maybe it was a good thing he didn't come, with what happened and all. Oh well. He never stopped me from following my dreams for all that." He nodded at Shane and asked, "What about you? Why are you a veterinarian?"

"Two things," Shane began. "My mom and my dog. I should explain. My mom was an animal lover. She had horses, and I'd go to the barn and learn to ride them. Let me tell you something, guys! You don't just sit on your ass! It's actually  _exercise_! But yeah, she gave me my love of animals." He smiled fondly. Then he brightened up even more, "My dog was the other thing. She was just a little mutt of a thing. A rescue, but I got to pick her out. Or I think she chose me. She came right up to me in that kennel and put her little snoot through the bars. That was it for me. Suzie got me through high school, then she got sick when I was in university. There was so much wrong with her. I felt helpless to help, and finally when I had to make that decision… it was very hard. She was my best friend. But after that, I went in for the veterinarian, because I wanted to find out what I didn't know then. I got involved with the Veterinarians Without Borders pretty much right away, and I've not looked back since."

Kyle nodded warmly, "Wow, that's such a great story! I know I wouldn't be where I am without my parents. And I  _actually_  get along with Em's parents, which… is a great feat, don't you think?" He ignored the swat his wife gave him and winked at the others.

They laughed and "congratulated" Kyle with teasing words and more laughter. This was great, and fun for all of them. They quite forgot Eve, who was still under her tree and listening to the banter and stories. She liked hearing the stories, and was very much interested. However, the stories hurt her too somehow. She looked down at the ground and played with her own fingers, biting her lip.

Owen had just finished exclaiming, "No! No way!" at a funny story of Shane's. After the laughter died down, there was a small voice from the shadows, "My parents are divorced."

They turned to look at Eve, who was pulling up grass with one hand and studying the blades. She wasn't looking at anyone, and almost seemed like she was hoping no one would notice her.

There was silence, then Shane very gently said, "That's tough when parents do that. I'm sorry that happened to you." He paused, hesitant to ask any questions, but finally did, "This happen when you were a kid?" A sharp nod. "Who did you end up living with?"

Eve blew out a breath, and continued playing with the blades of grass. At last she did answer, "My dad. There was a big court thing. Dad won. Never saw my mom again. She didn't want me I guess."

Emma bit her lip. Divorces were hard on children, and Eve sounded like she had been small when it happened. "I'm so sorry, Eve. But you've grown up strong and beautiful, haven't you? No one else I know could have survived the way you did here. And you have an amazing gift."

"No one knows," was the quiet voice's answer. A pause. Then, "I didn't tell anyone. I did when I was a kid, and they thought I was crazy. Maybe I am."

"No, Eve, you're not crazy," Owen told her kindly. "You do have a gift. A very cool one. One we certainly could have used at Jurassic World had we known about it. And I'm sure there's lots of places that could use your gifts. You just have to find the right place for yourself."

She looked up at them now and gave a watery smile, "Yeah? You think so?" She had to giggle softly when they all echoed the same "Yes!" She pondered a moment, then got up. "Okay. I'll think about it for a bit. Thanks." With that, she walked back to the nest site, leaving the team staring at her from behind. And in a moment, she was lost to view.

 


	14. Lost and Found

"Huh," Shane said as soon as Eve had disappeared. He looked at the group and raised an eyebrow. "That was… interesting."

The Stones both nodded in agreement, and Emma pointed out, "It must have hard for her. Divorce is always the most difficult on the children. And if she was already hiding her secret… well."

Owen felt sympathy well up in him. Relationships were hard in the first place. Look at himself and Claire. Even though they had the dinosaurs in common, and got along well, they were still on and off, neither being able to make a commitment of some sort. And although Eve was a young woman, her history would have been difficult to share. He decided to go and see her. See if it was worth talking to her.

He walked towards the nest site, looking for Eve. But soon enough he was met with Broke Fang, who snarled viciously at him. Belatedly, he remembered her rule: never approach the nest site without permission. Apologetically and as calm as he could, Owen told her, "I'm sorry, Broke Fang. I was looking for Eve. I would never harm the little ones though. Or the eggs. Ever." Another snarl and snort, and he kept taking just like he would with Blue, "Shhh, Broke Fang. It's okay. I'm the good guy. Shhh."

"What are you doing, Owen?" An accusatory voice rang out over Broke Fang's snarls.

The man looked up at Eve, his hands raised still, and admitted, "I was looking for you. I didn't think I was quite so close. Just bumped into our friend here."

Eve looked at Broke Fang who snapped at the air,  _He was too close! He promised!_

_I know he promised, Broke Fang. But I trust him. He won't hurt the nest. If he does… you can blame me._

The raptor curved her neck around to look at Eve. She was standing up for him? Huh. This was interesting. She stared at the black haired girl and cocked her head, purring.  _Hm. I see. Well, tell him this had better not happen again. Or I will surely punish him._  With that, the raptor hissed at Owen, then swung away, back to the pack.

Eve watched Broke Fang go, and told Owen with a bite in her voice, "I don't think I need to tell you what she said."

"No, you don't," he agreed in relief. He'd gotten off lucky this time. He shook his head and then apologized again, "I'm sorry, okay? Thought you had gone down to the river."

She played with the strands of her black hair, then looked up at him, "Why were you looking for me anyway?"

Owen flashed his smiled at her, and kindly answered, "Just wanted to chat for a bit. It was nice having you around. But just wanted to know more about you, if that's okay. You were in college?"

Eve stared at him. The memories had started coming back during the meal, when the others had talked of their lives at home. But did she really want to talk about it? To him? To anyone? Right now, the answer was no. She wasn't ready. She needed more time to sort out her thoughts, but it had been a big step to say what she did say. Still, Eve told herself, why had she even shared that? She answered herself in the next thought,  _Because you wanted to be part of the group. Belong like you never did before._

Looking back to Owen, Eve tersely said, "Yeah." Then she started to walk away, but inexplicably waited for him. She wanted Momma the brachiosaur.

Owen saw the hesitation and immediately followed along. Pretty soon they were joined by the three young raptors, who made quite a racket as they jumped and played with each other. They merely saw Eve as part of the pack, and had been allowed on side trips here and there. Owen saw Eve swing around to face the youngsters, looking as if she would send them back. But after a moment of indecision, she shrugged and continued on her way. He grinned at the excitement of the little ones at Eve's assent.

Soon enough, they reached the Brach Meadow, and Eve looked around immediately for Momma. She found her at the edge of the meadow, nearest her favourite trees, and scampered over there. The large long-necks peered down at the odd group, but paid no mind to the baby raptors. They were simply too young and inexperienced to worry about. And they were not hunting. Their own young ones would be safe for now.

 _Greetings, Eve,_ Momma purred down at her friend.  _Are you a momma yourself today?_

Giggling, Eve shook her head,  _Nope, but apparently I am a babysitter! I don't mind. They're cute. Loud, but cute._  She paused and told the kindly dinosaur,  _I just wanted your company today. The humans are… confusing. You're not confusing. I need you._

Making an odd humming growl, Momma asked,  _Humans are confusing? They can be. They do strange things. Don't you like them, Eve?_

_I do… I do, somehow. I think they want me to go back with them. Home. But here is home, Momma. I belong here. It's safe here. I'm needed and loved by the pack._

Snorting, the Brach replied,  _But it's not safe. Yes, you can speak with the predators, but who is to say they won't turn on you? Look at what happened with Redsail. And that other one. You are much safer among your own kind, little one. And if I may ask, if you want nothing to do with humans, why is there one with you?_

Eve looked over at Owen, who was standing politely, looking about the meadow, not wishing to interrupt Eve's conversation. At her look, he smiled and said, "Is it okay if I ask her a question?"

Eve looked surprised, but nodded. She gave a quick glance to make sure the babies weren't in trouble, before turning her attention back to Owen. "Sure. Go ahead."

"What was her favourite thing when she was little? Other than that ball she mentioned before? Was there a favourite food?"

Momma listened to Eve's translation and burbled with amusement. It sounded exactly like a baby brachiosaurus for a moment and the other brachs looked at her in confusion. It was odd for them to hear their matriarch make such a  _youthful_ sound.  _I liked the humans very much, small one. They petted me and made such funny noises over me… especially the females. They'd feed me treats… there was a particular one that I liked a lot. It was long and yellow and sweet inside. That was my favourite. When I was too big for the pen, they would sometimes bring a bunch to me anyways for a treat._

"Long and yellow?" Owen repeated in puzzlement. What was long and yel- oh he knew now! He laughed merrily and answered, "Bananas! She loved bananas! That's so… freaking awesome!"

Giggling at both Momma and Owen, Eve relaxed. This was so much better. And Momma liked bananas! How funny! She grinned up at her and said both aloud and silently, "I like bananas too. But only if they're on the green side. I think they're too squishy otherwise."

That made Owen grin, and asked, "What about oranges? Or apples?"

Momma thought about that for a moment when Eve tried to describe the fruits. Finally she mused,  _I think I've had "apples" before. Sweet and crunchy. Oranges smell weird._

 _Smell weird? They don't smell weird! Maybe to you they do,_ Eve countered as she translated back. But Owen only laughed at the large dinosaur. This was great! He filed away in his head in his internal notes:  _bring bananas for Momma_.

The three of them got along famously, Momma liking Owen very much. He reminded her of the kind people who had raised her from an egg. He understood how dinosaurs might think or react. And he was good to Eve. As for Eve, she was so different than she normally was. Momma noted the light in her eyes and face as she laughed. And she loved Eve's laughter.

Eve herself found it comfortable being with her favourite dinosaur and Owen. He was great with them both, and didn't push anything at all. Finally, suppressing a giggle, Eve looked around for Red Snout, Black Tail, and Pouncer. To her surprise, she didn't see them.

"Wait a minute! Where did the babies go?" she exclaimed as she looked around wildly. They were supposed to stay near her! Where were they? They couldn't be lost on her watch!

Momma immediately looked around from her height. She peered around for three very small and mischievous baby raptors. But she couldn't see them.  _They're not in the meadow as far as I can see, Eve._

 _Thanks, Momma. I gotta go. We need to find them,_  Eve replied and started running off, calling the babies' names. Owen did the same, splitting up in different direction in the meadow. They looked under bushes, behind trees, by the river, anyplace that Momma couldn't see. But they were nowhere to be found.

"Where the hell are they?! They were supposed to stay in view of me!" Eve tugged at her black hair in frustration and started to try the forest part. This was great. Just great. How was she supposed to tell Long Fang that her babies were missing? No, she wouldn't. Not until they were found, that is. The stupid chicks were out exploring on their own.

Owen echoed her own thoughts, "They're exploring, Eve. I guess they're getting big enough to want to do that. It's natural, but still... they should have stayed with one of the pack. Which is you." He finished with a smile before going serious again. Three small raptors in the leafy brush were not going to be easy to find. They moved along together, calling now and then, hoping they were going in the right direction.

After a few minutes, they could hear squawking sounds. Eve dashed towards and felt relief when she saw Red Snout. And right behind the female was Black Tail.  _Where have you both been! You scared the life out of me! And where's your brother? Pouncer?_

Red Snout was just learning to talk, and she told Eve,  _I sorry. Bug. Flutter bug. Follow._

"Flutter bug?" Owen asked with that translation. Then he smiled, "Oh. A butterfly. But flutter bug makes way more sense to be honest with you. They do… flutter." He grinned at Eve's glare at him. But he settled down when Eve again asked,  _Where's Pouncer?_

_Not know. Gone. Jump into bush. Gone._

"He jumped into a bush and disappeared, she said. That makes no sense." Eve snapped. Then she gestured to the little ones to show her the bush the little scamp had gone into. The babies squawked happily at her and turned to lead the pair back the way they came. They found the bush, alright, and Eve was cautious in approaching it. Stepping carefully, she looked around. Then her foot slipped down a slope, and Owen grabbed at her hand wildly.

He snagged her arm, they locked eyes, mirroring each other's startled expressions, then Eve's momentum pulled Owen over with her. They tumbled down the slope, bounced off a rock or two, and just kept going. Sometimes, Eve was on top, sometimes it was Owen. Finally, they hit the bottom. Owen made a loud grunt as he slammed into the ground on his back. Eve made an odd squeaking noise as she landed on something… soft.

She blinked in confusion, then saw what had happened. She was on top of Owen, and he had been her cushion in the fall. Flushing hot with embarrassment, Eve rolled off him and lay on her back, panting for breath. "S..ss...sorry," was the only thing she could think to say.

"Not… a… problem," Owen wheezed himself. He looked back up the thing they had fallen down. It was sort of a small cliff, but not really. Just a very, very sharp slope, and it looked like they were in a ravine of sorts. Eventually he got breath enough to sit up slowly and look over at Eve worriedly, "Hey, you okay? Are you hurt?"

She propped up on an elbow, checking herself out. Then she giggled, "I should be asking you that. I did land on you after all." The faint flush was still there, but she could see the humour of the situation.

He laughed and stretched slowly, "Yeah, I'm okay. Sure you don't want to do that again?" Owen went serious and looked up again. He couldn't see Red Snout or Black Tail. "Maybe you'd better tell them not to come. It's obvious Pouncer fell down here. We don't want them falling too."

"True," Eve agreed readily. She called up silently to the babies,  _Red Snout? Black Tail? Don't move from there! We're fine. We're going to look for Pouncer. But don't you dare move from that spot!_

She waited until she had heard an assent from both babies. Chuckling softly, Eve told Owen, "Black Tail was most agreeable to stay there. Red Snout… being a girl… gave me a bit of an argument. But I think she'll behave. Her brother will see to that, I'm sure. Shall we see where Pouncer's gone?"

Snorting at Eve's description, Owen nodded. He looked down at the dirt and pointed out, "Look. Little raptor tracks. He's gone this way." He looked in that direction, hoping the little one wasn't hurt. Though kids, both human and animals, were rather resilient. They all seemed to be made out of rubber! "Come on, if you're sure you're okay, let's go."

Huffing at his protectiveness, Eve stepped out into the lead. Her eyes scanned both the ground in front of her for the tracks and up ahead for a little lost raptor. They both searched every possible place as they went. It was a long ravine, though not very wide. And plenty of hiding spots for a small animal that was either hurt or scared. Owen called out loud, and Eve called silently, figuring that they'd find Pouncer faster that way.

It was still a good search. Finally they found a gentle slope upwards to their relief. "I was about to ask how we get out of here, but that solves our problems, doesn't it?" Owen smiled. He held out a hand to Eve to help her clamber over a large rock, and then they were out of the ravine.

"Maybe I should go back for the chicks. They'd be safer with us?" Eve suggested, looking back in the direction she'd left them. They shouldn't be alone for so long.

Owen saw the look of concern but suggested, "I think we should look a little longer. If we can't find anything, one of us can go back for them. The other can keep searching."

Smiling at him, Eve nodded brightly. That was a good plan. Cheerfully, she started calling again, Owen at her side. They went a short distance, finding a few tracks here and there.

_ROAR!_

They both froze at the sound. Then Eve bolted forwards, ignoring Owen's shouts at her to stop running. She ran with her heart in her throat, screaming out Pouncer's name. She took several impressive leaps over logs and rocks, leading Owen to wonder if she was part ninja. He dashed along behind her, more worried that Eve would get  _herself_  hurt.

She came to a slight clearing and her eyes widened at the sight. Pouncer was playing a dangerous cat and mouse game with Redsail. She watched with horror as he narrowly missed getting stomped on by the large and very pissed off Spinosaurus. The baby leaped over the larger dinosaur's clawed foot and squealed as teeth came down beside him. Redsail could be rather agile in his movement, and this little one had annoyed him enough.

"Pouncer!  **This way!** " Eve shouted at him, keeping an eye on Redsail. She saw the chick look her way and start to run. He glanced behind and suddenly had to dart off to the side to avoid Redsail's snarling mouth once again. He tumbled over a small rock, making Eve gasp. But the plucky little one picked himself up and ran as fast as he could for Eve.

It was a good thing Owen had been hanging on to Eve, because she would have been knocked off her feet when Pouncer slammed into her arms. He was getting rather large and heavy, making Eve stagger under his weight. But she gripped him to her chest, and Owen bellowed in Eve's ear, " **Run!** "

Glancing over at Redsail who had seen the humans, she decided that was probably the best plan instead of talking things out. She made sure she had a good grip on Pouncer and ran as best she could back the way they came.

"The ravine! Quick!" Owen shouted again as they made their way to their escape. Redsail bellowed at them angrily. He might have seen sense to talk to Eve under normal circumstances, but right now, he was just too mad. The chick had wound him up too much. The earth shook as his pounding steps rushed after the humans and raptor.

Owen glanced at Eve who was struggling to carry Pouncer and he pulled at her to stop for one moment. "Come on, let me carry him, quick!" He seized the terrified chick and booked it, Eve running after him. Finally he saw the ravine and dashed down it, nearly going head over heels, but Eve snagged the back of his shirt.

They ran through the ravine, knowing that Redsail was close… too close. There was a section ahead though that should save them. If they got there, that is. Putting on another spurt of speed, Owen gasped as he ducked into the narrow part of the ravine and made sure Eve was right there with him.

There was a splintering crash as Redsail ran right into the large rocks. He staggered back, surprised, then roared. The sound was earth-shattering and he tried to shove himself into the narrow gap. He was still trying to do it when the humans went back to where they had fallen.

"He… he… can't… get… through," Eve gasped out breathlessly. She took Pouncer back and stroked the quivering baby's skin to calm him down.  _What… were… you… doing?!_

_I sorry. I fall. I lost. Den big monster chase._

_Nevermind. You're… safe… now,_ Eve reassured him. She could hear the calls and squawks from Red Snout and Black Tail above them, hearing the roars and all.

Owen had flopped on the ground, exhausted, but now he looked up. They'd have to go back up that way. It might be a hard climb, but it was doable. But for now, they all needed rest. His legs were still shaking from that run. Pouncer was still scared. The other chicks were safe, for now. Eve looked wiped. Yes, rest sounded wonderful.


	15. Mischief Maker

Owen looked up again at the bank. It was steep, but should be doable, if they helped each other. Finally, he got up and examined it, trying to find the best way up. He cocked his head and then looked down at Eve. "How are you doing? Feeling up to the climb yet?"

Eve smiled and replied, "Yeah, I think so. The babies are getting restless. Pouncer is fine now, and not so scared. He can hold on to one of us while we climb. Is this the best spot though?" She peered up at what they were supposed to do.

Nodding, Owen pointed out, "It should be okay. There's lots of plants to hold onto, and rocks. Let's just hope none of them pull loose."

"Oh, that's really confident of you," Eve sarcastically said. She gazed up again, and suggested, "How about I go first? Pouncer can ride me. You follow, in case he falls?"

"In case he falls? What about in case  **you**  fall?" Owen quipped, but he had a smile on his face. He was enjoying the banter between them, and Pouncer made a squawking sound as Eve heaved him onto her back. Smiling at the young raptor, Owen guided Eve to the best place to start climbing and gave her directions.

The black haired woman nodded in response, and took a deep breath. She adjusted Pouncer on her and told the other chicks they were coming.  _Pouncer, you hold on as best you can. You let me know if you start to slip. Red Snout, Black Tail, you're doing so good staying up there. Just hang on a bit longer!_ She was satisfied when she heard their answers and started the climb.

It was certainly difficult enough without a baby raptor hanging on, but it was doable. Just. Eve grabbed on to each plant or rock, first checking it to see it would not tumble out of place before putting her weight on it. The hand were not the issue. It was trying to figure out where to put her feet, and sometimes what seemed solid enough, wasn't. She slipped a few times on loose rocks, and could hear cursing below her when they would hit Owen in the face or arms. "Do you mind?" he snapped as he saw a shoe in his face…  _again._

If she had a hand available to give him the finger, she would have. Luckily for him, she was too busy trying not to fall. Eve grunted as she found a sharp rock that was necessary to pull on, but after that one, the going was much easier. Huffing and puffing, she started to pull herself over the edge, only going "Ow!" when Pouncer climbed over her first to rejoin his siblings. At last, Eve was up and panted with relief. She turned around and offered a hand to Owen to help him up the last little bit of the way.

"Thanks," he breathlessly told her, shaking his head. That had been  _crazy_. First he'd been threatened by Broke Fang. Then they'd lost the babies. Then they had to find them. Then not get eaten by a pissed off Spinosaurus. Now all they had to do was get these babies home! Then it would be all good.

They set off, the two humans and the three raptor chicks. At first Pouncer was quiet, but he was happy to be back with his siblings. They had nuzzled each other, then cheerily followed Owen and Eve. Soon enough, however, their good spirits returned, and Eve had to scold the two males for starting a play fight. They needed to get back quickly!  _Stop it you two. Come on, let's go home._

Red Snout watched her brothers carefully, then stopped to sniff an interesting rock. The others moved on, not noticing her. Then she squawked merrily,  _Look! Flutter bug!_  That made the other two stop and run off after her, ignoring Eve's aloud shout, "Red Snout! Come back!" Eve made a noise of frustration and and ran off after the idiot chicks. She found Red Snout leading her "pack" and bouncing after a brightly coloured butterfly. Immediately Red Snout found herself scooped up by an annoyed Eve,  _You come along right now. No more adventures._  Now Eve went back to the track and plunked the chick down. She made sure the males were following once more and set off.

Owen had walked a little while when he checked again. "Fuck it, Eve, Black Tail is missing now!" He groaned and backtracked a bit. He found the chick lapping at a puddle, and waited until he was done. Then he shoved the chick back towards the waiting Eve, who promptly scolded him for not telling them he was stopping. They moved on once more, with the babies in front of them this time. They had been getting along well, when Pouncer got distracted by a lizard crossing his path. It looked yummy! He was on that lizard's tail before anyone could say anything. And of course, since he was chasing something, the others bolted after him too. The two humans had quite the time of it catching them  _again_  and getting them back on track.

"They're little scamps, aren't they?" Owen said with a sigh as they were on the right path once more. More like little monsters, really, but that's what you got with a baby raptor. They were too intelligent for their own good! And curious. Which was all well and good, really, but he agreed with Eve. They needed to get back to their groups. However, he joked with her, "Think Long Fang will notice if we don't bring her babies back? Seeing at they're bad and all?"

Eve shot him a look, but realized he was only teasing, "She probably would. Although maybe it would be quiet around there finally! They're also  _noisy_. Try sleeping with them."

That made Owen roll his eyes in sympathy. "I bet. Oh well. We're not too far now, anyway. Almost to the Brach Meadow!" He smiled in relief as he saw the opening through the trees that signaled the beginning of the meadow. He stepped out into the sunshine, and the wind carried the sound of the brachiosaur moans to them. "There, that's more like it!" He took a glance, and yes, they had three chicks with them. Good. Eve sent him a smile as she stepped into the sun as well, eyes darting about as usual for any possible danger. But it seemed alright and she breathed easily. They would soon be back and she'd give up responsibility for the chicks for today. There had been enough excitement.

They'd crossed half the meadow, not disturbing the grazing brachs, when Eve made another check. She saw Black Tail bouncing ahead. Pouncer stopped to sniff an interesting fern, then bounded after his brother. And… Red Snout was nowhere to be seen. "Oh come on!" Eve flapped her arms. "We're almost there! Now where the blue hell has she gone?!"

Owen pointed, "There." They looked and saw a speck in the distance of a mischievous raptor chick poking at a nest site. "Good grief, really? Eve, I'll go catch her. You go on. The chicks need to get back."

Eve cocked her head at him but decided that this was a better plan. They weren't far away from the raptor territory. All he had to do was go get Red Snout and they'd be back soon. Nodding in agreement, she herded her two charges toward the raptor nest site, confident that Owen and Red Snout would be there shortly.

Broke Fang snapped her head up at Eve's approach. She had been worried,  _You were gone a long time! Where have you been?_  She came over and snuffled Eve gently, then looked at the two chicks. Dread suddenly filled her,  _Where is Red Snout?_

The woman quickly reassured her,  _She's coming. We had some trouble. The babies got lost._

 _Lost?_  Broke Fang asked as she sniffed Black Tail and Pouncer. She smelled the man scent strongly, especially on Pouncer. The man had carried him! She didn't like that, but the chick seemed alright. There was another scent on Pouncer, and suddenly Broke Fang recoiled. Long Fang, seeing this, immediately went to her chick and took a deep sniff.  _Redsail! I smell Redsail and that man!_ Her mouth gaped open to a snarl and she took off immediately, searching for her female chick. Broke Fang was right behind her, and pretty soon the whole pack was running too before Eve could say a word.

Broke Fang suddenly slammed to a stop and hissed to her mate,  _Rip Maw, you go to the cave. Take Silver Face and Snapp with you. I, Long Fang, and Sharp Claw will go find Red Snout._ So agreeing, the pack split in two to cover more ground. Broke Fang's reasoning was simple: Owen could try to go there or he'd run off and hide.

The team were more than surprised when three snarling raptors suddenly leaped from the bushes. They instinctively scrambled to their feet, and Kyle pushed his wife behind him. Shane stared down Rip Maw, the Alpha's mate. "What is it?! What's happened?" But they got nothing but angry growls and the humans were herded back toward the cave. Trapped.

Emma grabbed onto her husband as Snapp approached him, "Why are they angry at us? Where's Eve? And Owen?"

Silverface snapped her head to the female at Eve's name. She had a terrible look on her face, That made Emma whimper fearfully as she tightened her grip again, not feeling safe at all. Why were the raptors on edge, looking like they would slaughter them all in an instant?

Owen had finally snagged the naughty Red Snout and scolded her lightly, "Hey now, little girl! You've cause quite enough trouble for one day. Come on, you're going back to your nest." He carried the protesting young raptor who eventually settled down. Though she would squeal now and then to get down. But Owen was determined. There was  _no way_  he was putting her down now! The naughty little imp.

Red Snout suddenly turned her attention ahead and stiffened. Owen wondered what she heard and looked up too. Now he heard the snarls and growls coming from ahead and stopped in surprise. Then his mouth went dry as Broke Fang, Long Fang and Sharp Claw burst out of the shadows and surrounded him. He gripped onto Red Snout tightly in his startled state, and that made the chick squeal loudly.

Broke Fang was furious at the human.  _Put the chick down!_  She roared at him, watching his every move. Long Fang hissed at him,  _He's holding my baby! He was going to take her away!_  Sharp Claw snarled too,  _Egg stealer! Nest taker! Chick killer!_

Owen wasn't stupid. He knew he was in grave danger. These raptors were going to kill him if he did anything to piss them off. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to put down their chick. Maybe that's what was pissing them off. Gently he spoke as he moved, "Hey, guys. It's okay. It's alright. I'm going to put Red Snout down. There. Easy girl. Not gonna hurt her, see? Down we go." He carefully lowered the chick down, not taking his eyes off Broke Fang. "There now, she's on the ground. She's safe, okay? Go on now, little one. Back to your momma and daddy."

Red Snout squealed happily and ran straight up to Long Fang, who took a careful sniff and sneezed at the now hateful man scent. She growled deeply and now focused her eyes on Owen and took a step towards him aggressively.

It took everything in Owen and all his training to stay calm. He had faced angry dinos before, but not like this. Where the hell was Eve? But Eve wouldn't be able to save him if he so much as moved an inch. He made himself do slow blinks and put himself in a submissive posture. It was the only thing he could do for now, as well as talk calmly, "Alright, guys. What is the problem? Your baby is safe. She's fine. Okay? Can we go back home? I won't bother you, alright? It's okay, Broke Fang. I won't hurt you." Yeah, he wouldn't hurt her. More likely she would hurt him. Very much hurt him. He just hoped to hell they calmed down before that happened.

Broke Fang didn't understand what he was saying, but she could tell the tone of his words. He was trying to pacify her, and he was showing submission. This made her hesitate. The growl died on her lips as she studied the man in front of her. He had let go of Red Snout. But he had been carrying her! The babies had been missing! Lost! And Pouncer had been with Redsail! All of these things piled up in Broke Fang's brain at once and once again her mouth opened in a vicious growl.

This caused the other raptor pair to do the same, and draw closer to Owen. He felt a flash of fear go through him. So this is how he would die, slashed to ribbons by angry raptors. For what? He couldn't understand what they said at all. The sweat was starting to bead on his forehead, and he wished it wouldn't. It would carry the smell of his fear, but it couldn't be helped.

Once again, Broke Fang hissed loudly at him. Then she pounced.


	16. A Brush With Death

Eve snapped her head around, confused about what was going on. Broke Fang hadn't said a thing to her as the raptor had taken off with the pack. All she knew was Broke Fang was angry. Very angry. She stared down at the equally confused baby chicks. Something was wrong. Turning on her heel, Eve suddenly heard the raspy hisses of angry raptors near the cave.

Dread pooled into her, and she started to run in that direction. Then a thought came to her, making Eve skid to a stop. Owen! He still had Red Snout! And he was by himself! Undecided, Eve tried to make a decision of which way to go. Finally she snapped at Black Tail and Pouncer,  _Stay here. Don't you dare move from the nest site!_ With that warning in place, she ran as fast as she could to where she had last seen Owen, in the Brach Meadow.

As she ran, she let the fear take over. What the hell was going on? What if he was dead! She couldn't handle that. She couldn't. He had to be okay. And Red Snout had to be okay too. But Owen was…  _her kind_. A friend. A good friend.

He needed her.

That thought spurred her on even faster, and right now she was thanking her lucky stars that she'd become so fit with the raptors. She made it to the meadow in record time, and only paused briefly to see where the raptors might be. Or Owen.

Eve looked about wildly, and suddenly saw three raptors gathered about, snarling. She knew in an instant who they were: Broke Fang, Long Fang, and Sharp Claw. And Broke Fang was on top of something on the ground.

She screamed loudly, " **Get off him!** " Ignoring the frightened Red Snout who had immediately run over to her, Eve ran to the small group. Her heart plummeted when she saw Owen flattened on the ground, grunting and kicking.  _Broke Fang! Stop!_  She screeched at the raptor whose jaws were clamped down on the yelling Owen's shoulder. Broke Fang had been shaking him hard, trying to get leverage for her claws to rip in to his abdomen. Luckily for Owen, he had reacted when he was thrown and the raptor had missed the killing blow. Broke Fang looked up with surprise at Eve, stilling her shaking of the man, and paused with her attack. She considered a moment, then at last she let go of Owen and stared at the young woman with blazing eyes.

 _Broke Fang, what the hell!? What has he done?_  Eve snapped at her, mindful of Owen's pants of pain, but she didn't look too closely right now. Instead she locked eyes with Broke Fang and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other pair of raptors watching her with curiosity, but not interfering.

The raptor cocked her head at Eve and replied with a hiss,  _He stole the babies! He was holding Red Snout! He put the babies in danger! He was not to touch any eggs or babies! He broke his promises! He dies!_

Eve shook her head, and tried to keep her voice calm,  _Broke Fang, it didn't happen like that._ She sighed and told the alpha,  _I brought the young ones to the Brach Meadow. They went exploring, too far from me. Pouncer fell into the ravine. Owen and I saved him from Redsail. Then we had bit of trouble getting back with the chicks running off. We were almost back when Red Snout wandered off again. Owen went back for her. But he saved Pouncer's life from Redsail._

Broke Fang snarled again, but this time it was a bit calmer. She looked down at Owen under her talons, and the smell of his blood excited her. But she did listen to Eve. He had saved Pouncer? Cocking her head she pondered that. Again she pointed out,  _He was carrying Red Snout. She wanted to get down and he wouldn't let her!_

 _True, Broke Fang,_  Eve agreed, trying to placate the alpha raptor.  _It is true he did carry her. But she was being naughty, and I told her to come. She didn't. I didn't want her stomped on by the long necks. I should have waited for him though. That was my fault, Broke Fang. I should have waited for him and Red Snout._

She did feel guilty about that… what she had done was stupid, and she should have thought things through. Broke Fang  _had_  been upset with Owen that morning already for being too close to the nest site. It really was her fault for not thinking.

The raptor cocked her head again, sniffing the air for any hints of deceit. Then she relaxed fully. She believed Eve. She understood that what she was saying was true. Looking over at the worried looking chick, she asked,  _Red Snout? You were bad?_

Giving a soft sound the chick answered,  _We bad. We play. Eve say no. We no listen. We bad. Sorry._

That did it for Broke Fang. She nodded at the chick and looked over at Eve again.  _Alright. I will not kill him. Just make sure he doesn't touch the chicks without permission. But he can if he asks._

Giving a relieved smile, Eve grinned back and stepped forward as Broke Fang stepped off Owen. The man gave a groan of pain as her claws pulled out of his flesh, but thankfully, they hadn't sunk in deep nor had they ripped his abdomen. Eve's hands were instantly on him, inspecting his wounds. The serious one was the bite on his shoulder, with teeth marks scoring it. It looked bad, but Eve knew it could have been much more serious. There was also a good gash on his leg from one of Broke Fang's talons, but she could see that it was fixable. "You okay? I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left you alone!"

"It's… okay… Eve," Owen gasped as he tried to sit up, wincing for the pain. He looked down at himself, and tried to convince himself he wasn't dead. "You… came… at a… good time."

"I'm so glad," Eve whispered. "I couldn't bear the thought… nevermind. Let's get you up and back to the cave. Oh!" She cried as she had a sudden thought. "The rest of the pack are back there!" She looked around for the raptors and called out to the one she could see,  _Long Fang? Maybe you should tell the others that everything is okay? If it isn't too late…_  She couldn't tell if Long Fang had actually heard her or not. Now she worried that the raptors had killed the others after all.

Owen cursed as he was dragged up, but helped Eve as much as possible. She was stronger than he thought, but that was easily contributed to the length of time that she'd been there. All the walking and hunting had done her a lot of good.

Eve watched him with concern, "We gotta get you back to the cave. Clean up those wounds. I think that leg wound might need stitches. What should we do for the bite?"

"I don't know and I don't want to think of it right now," Owen snapped. He would deal with it when he got there. There was no point in him worrying about his injuries right now. That would just sap him of the strength he so needed right now. His main focus was to put one foot in front of the other and move as well as he could. Eve helped him along, and he saw a very patient side of her that he'd not seen before now. He did wonder briefly what she was like in the real world. Real world meaning civilization, of course.

He limped along and finally he saw the cave. A raptor hissed loudly, and he saw Rip Maw, the alpha male, growling at them. "Didn't you say Long Fang was supposed to tell them to lay off?"

"Yeah, but Long Fang isn't the alpha. She's only the beta female. I guess Broke Fang didn't come." She sighed and told the raptor,  _Hey Rip Maw. It's okay. I had a talk with Broke Fang. It's alright. Just a big mistake. Red Snout is fine. Go back the nest and you'll see Red Snout, Black Tail, and Pouncer._

The male raptor looked at the bleeding Owen, his human blood smell sharp in his sensitive nostrils. He instinctively wanted to pounce on the wounded creature, but seeing Eve supporting him… and in the way… made him stop.  _Who attacked him?_

_Your mate. But she left him alone. You should go to her and she'll explain._

The three humans inside the cave had perked up when they heard Eve's voice call out, but then they couldn't hear her anymore. Nor could they see her or Owen. Emma was nervous, "Do you think… what happened to them? Could they be…" Her breath hitched at the idea that Owen was dead. Or maybe Eve turned the pack against them. In any case, she had a really bad feeling. They'd stayed too long, hadn't they?! They should have left.. They shoul- her panicky thoughts stilled as Kyle wrapped strong arms around her carefully, trying not to spook the raptors that they could still hear hissing and snarling.

Shane had frozen when he heard the soft clicking of the raptor claws. He sucked in a breath, remembering when Broke Fang had jumped on him. That had hurt. A lot. He definitely did not want to face that again. Raptor claws were no joke, alright. He tried to peer out of the cave for Eve, but couldn't see her. He could see a raptor close to the entrance though and sighed. He could see the silver patch on her snout, denoting her as Silver Face. Snapp was never far from her, but he couldn't see him or the Alpha. Or Eve. And that scared him.

After what seemed like ages, Silver Face snapped her head around and purred. A hand touched the silver patch, and Eve stepped into view. The raptor nuzzled the young woman then moved away with a hiss of caution. Eve smiled after her and nodded. She turned her attention on the three people staring at her and said, "Hey, you gonna just stand there? Help me out, Owen is heavy!"

"I'm… not… that… heavy!" Owen tried to snap as he leaned on Eve's arm. But now he felt strong male arms around him with relief as they took most of his weight. He winced in pain and panted heavily as he was moved to his sleeping blanket. Kyle quickly stripped Owen's shirt off him and hesitated at the belt buckle. That leg looked like it could be bad but… he looked at Owen who shook his head, "It's… okay… take them...off. Not the… time to… be.. modest."

Shane chuckled a bit but then frowned as he studied Owen's wounds. That bite mark looked nasty. There were some gashes on his ribcage, but thankfully no punctures. That was saved for Owen's right leg. He felt around carefully, ignoring the man's curses, and nodded, "It's not broken, thank heavens. We just need to clean out everything really well. What the hell happened anyway?"

Eve explained it to them as soon as Emma came back with water and had used some of the extra shirts as rags for cleaning. The bandages should be saved for after, when they were ready for them. "The babies ran away, and we got them back. But Broke Fang got pissed when she found Owen carrying Red Snout. I knew they were protective of the babies, but I forgot just how much. It's understandable, really, because none of the babies from last year survived. So that made them even more jittery. She.. she was on top of him when I came. Just in time."

Shane whistled at her tale. Owen had been bloody lucky if this is all he escaped with. He told Owen, "Well, the bite is nasty. I'm worried it will get infected, but the leg needs to be stitched. If it were just punctured, I'd leave it open, because you don't want to stitch over a puncture. But it's a bit more than that… a good rip, it is. So, that does need stitches. You want a stick, man?"

Grimacing at the pain shooting through him, Owen considered. He hated showing his pain, cherishing the male pride. But he knew this would hurt too much for pride to really get in the way. So he nodded sharply, and reached for his belt that was beside him. He stuck that in his mouth and threw his head back, ready to shut his eyes. He felt his head raise gently, something soft and warm slip under him and someone hold his hand. Surprised, he opened his eyes long enough to look into brown eyes and black hair. Eve. She wanted to help comfort him, and this was the best way she knew how. He took comfort, for the time being, of her lap, but the next moment he bit down hard on his leather belt.

"Sorry," Shane murmured. He had given Owen a painkiller, but it was going to take too long for it to kick in. He needed to clean things out  _now_  to guard against infections. He took the rags and peroxide and warned him, "Yell if you need to. Gotta pour this stuff in." Then with no more warning than that, he started to disinfect everything.

Eve though her hand was going to get broken with the way that Owen was clamping down on it. But she didn't mind really, because it meant that he had some support going on. Kyle was holding Owen down so he didn't buck too much, and Emma was holding his other hand. Finally the disinfecting was done, and Shane sat back, letting himself and Owen have a break. He smiled down at his friend and said, "You're doing good, mate. That part is done. Now the stitching. Then the bandaging."

The veterinarian furrowed his eyebrows. This was probably illegal shit he was doing, performing medicine on a human, but who cared. Who was going to say otherwise? No one, that's who. So he picked up the needle and thread that Emma had fished out of the medical supplies, threaded it, and laid a hand on Owen's leg, ready to go. After a moment, he decided the best plan was likely to sit on the wounded man's leg so he couldn't kick it too much. Kyle could hold down the rest of him if needed.

Owen cursed as he felt the first prick of the needle, but he tried to hold as still as he could. Why the hell had he tried to pick up that chick? Because he was stupid and tried to help too much. He groaned with pain as the skin was pulled together, and he wished the dumb painkillers would kick in. Anytime now, please…

Eve whispered to him, "You're okay, you're doing fine." She felt a bit odd trying to murmur things like that to a grown man… but it seemed to be helping. She could see that she was giving him something to focus on. And that also meant he was kicking and bucking less.

Now the bandaging process began. She'd never seen so many bandages before in her life. They'd come prepared, hadn't they? Eve sat Owen up so they could pad the bite wound and watched as Shane passed the bandaged around Owen's shoulder and under his armpit so it was secure. The leg was also wrapped up firmly. Shane paused at the gashes on Owen's ribcage. They hadn't been deep enough to merit stitching, but he had doubts about them. Maybe he should have done something more with them. He sure could have used that powder disinfectant he liked to use in his clinic. Shaking his head, he decided he'd use the wait and see approach, smeared some cream on, and continued to finish the bandaging.

At last, all over, Owen spat out the belt and sighed with relief. He breathed a bit painfully, and gave a faint smile, "Thanks… Dr…. Shane."

"No problem, just don't sue me, eh?" Shane winked at him. That make Owen give a snort and a bigger smile. Shane looked at him and gave him a gentle slap on his good leg. "You get some rest. Doctor's orders."

"Does it look okay?" Eve asked worriedly, but glad that it was all over. She slipped out from under Owen and replaced her lap with a pillow.

Shane looked up at her and nodded, "Yeah, should be fine. We'll just make sure things don't get infected, keep him off his feet for a few days, and he should be alright." Turning his attention back to Owen, he was firm, "And I do mean rest. From what Eve said, Broke Fang shook you as well. You'll be muscle sore. So you rest, alright?"

Owen sighed and actually complained, "But for how long? I gotta get up and doing stuff…"

Shane scowled at him and crossed his arms in his best doctor voice, "You'll do what I say. Rest or you won't get better. I'm a doctor, not a magician! I can only do so much!"

Eve actually snickered at Shane's reference there. She decided to sleep with the team, for there had been way too much excitement with the raptors today. She made herself comfortable with her friends, and smiled at the banter going on while making sure Owen had everything he needed.


	17. Memories Past

Eve smiled as she helped Owen step over a log. He'd been doing fine. The leg wasn't infected. Neither was the bite. Shane had had a long talk with him after he'd woken up several days ago from the attack. It basically went from Shane saying, "You need to leave and go to a hospital" to Owen saying "To hell I will." Eve laughed silently as she thought of that conversation. It had been serious and funny at the same time. But all in all, she was glad Owen was staying for now. They still needed to check the island for any further incidents of disease, which meant they needed him.

Glancing over at him, she asked, "How are you doing? You're walking about better today. And much easier without the chicks with us." She glanced around just to make sure they  _weren't_ with them. Not seeing them, she sighed with relief. They did not need more trouble.

Owen chuckled and nodded, "I'm okay. I know Shane has got his knickers in a twist over me moving around too much. But I find if I  _don't_  move… I get too stiff. And I don't want that to happen. I need to get about before the muscles seize up. But... thanks for helping."

"It's not a problem. And I know what you mean. After the… um… it was hard to move for a bit, but I made myself do it. I needed to find shelter anyways." Eve admitted.

Looking at her, Owen gestured to a log to sit down on for a break. He waited until Eve was sitting too, and sighed in relief. The leg hurt. The bite hurt. His sides hurt. But he would rather hurt than be dead. Small blessings. Turning to Eve, he asked her, "I know you haven't talked much about… before. You seem a bit more open now though. Can I ask why you came?"

Eve looked down at the ground. She didn't really want to talk about this still. She'd still blocked it from her mind… the whole accident thing, the fear and loneliness… and how it had turned into the best thing ever for her. Without thinking, she blurted out, "To take pictures."

Raising an eyebrow, Owen studied Eve carefully. Then he nodded with a smile, "Pictures? I can see that. It's something… this island."

But she wasn't really listening. It was starting to come back a bit and a flash of her friend came into her mind.

_Lucy came over to the house and knocked on the door. Eve opened it with a squeal, "You came! Come on in!" She yanked her best friend inside and they giggled all the way to the kitchen. "Dad's out. Picking up something for supper. I have no idea what… some of his things look like experiments gone awry." Eve explained._

_Her friend laughed and told her, "I got my license! I can fly by myself now! Where shall we go first?"_

_Throwing her arms around Lucy, Eve congratulated her, "That's amazing! You go, girl! Now we can literally pick up guys…" she teased, laughing with the friendly punch._

" _Yeah, yeah, dream on! But, Eve, I did find something awesome. Do you remember that island a while back with the dinosaurs?" Lucy bounced up and down, looking exactly as she had in high school in her excitement. Eve rolled her eyes at her friend's immaturity and friendly snapped, "Lucy, for goodness' sake, we aren't kids anymore. But yeah, what of it?"_

_Lucy produced a map and a circled area. "This is where it is. We can defielintely fly there and have a look before coming back! And you get that camera of yours that you just bought. And those photos that you take… would definitely send your photography career sky high!"_

_Eve stared at the map then back up to her friend. "But Lucy, isn't that a restricted airspace? We can't just fly there. We'd be in trouble with the Costa Rican government!"_

" _Oh but I've already thought about that. We fly out there, fly over, when they figure out we are there, we pretend we have radio trouble, fly around, you take pictures, and fly back again and 'fix' our radio. There. Done. No trouble at all." Lucy said confidently._

" _Lucy!" Eve gaped at her. "We are talking about the_ government _! We could go to jail over this! Not to mention a hell of a lot of other things!"_

_Lucy swatted at her, smiling, "But I always got a plan, girl. Don't worry so much. This will work! I promise."_

_Eve ran both hands through her hair, saying, "Ugh! Lucy, you always drag me into trouble. I mean, didn't they fish a kid off one of the islands years ago? Paragliding or something?"_

" _Parasailing, but that's not going to happen." Lucy quickly said with a smirk. "For one thing, we aren't landing. Two, we're just having a fly over and take a few pics. Three, I can handle any flack. You know Dad is a government official. He can smooth any… hiccups… over. You are a worrywart, Genevieve."_

" _Don't call me that, Lucille!" She shot at her friend. Blowing out a breath, she pondered. It did seem exciting. Anything with Lucy always seemed exciting. And she did want to accelerate her career. But it was plain dangerous! Her family would kill her. She was about to say no when she saw Lucy doing the huge puppy dog expression._

_Giving an exasperated sigh and flapping her arms, Eve gave in finally. There was no point in arguing. Lucy was set on this… and she was right. If Eve got those pictures… even if they never got published… it would be an accomplishment._

"I should have said no." Eve whispered. "And stuck to it."

An arm went around her shoulder, even as a sharp painful breath was sucked in. Owen ignored his injured shoulder and comforted Eve. "Said no to what? It's okay Eve, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to."

She breathed out a deep sigh and said her name aloud for the first time in months. "Lucy. I should have said no to Lucy. Now she's…" her voice hitched and could not say the word.

A deep voice whispered in her ear, "It's okay. I know it's hard. So it was her idea to come?"

"Yeah," she whispered right back. "We'd been together since elementary school. In college together. I was taking photography, she was doing travel planning. The plan was to travel the world together. She… I… it was my fault. I should have put my foot down. But saying no to Lucy was…" Eve trailed off again. The memories were too hard. They raced through her brain, little stupid things, things that were always in the back of her head that she pushed away. Things that Eve knew she would always think of with fondness and sadness. She only hoped Owen would understand.

"She was stubborn and too fun loving, I gather?" Owen smiled at her. "I know people like that. They are the best kind in your life… to push you out of your comfort zone. To make you fly. And when they go… it's hard to keep flying. To keep stretching your wings… it takes courage. And a hell of a lot of faith."

Eve heaved a painful breath and now asked, "Did you… did you ever… go back?"

"Back to what, Eve?"

She looked up at the sky and her voice was so soft, Owen had to strain to hear her. Eve took her time, breathing deeply, "Back… to the plane."

Now Owen sighed, rubbing his own chin and squeezed Eve's shoulder with his arm. He was honest, "We did, briefly. Just to see if you were still there. It was the logical place to start. Then we kept walking. We did see…" he wanted to say they had seen Lucy's grave. The team had all taken a moment of silence, guessing how hard it must have been for Eve to bury her best friend. But she was safe. Lucy was safe… and Eve had made sure of that. "We… collected a few things. And we found something of yours, I guess it is. Come on." Owen struggled up, wincing but determined to do it himself. He put a bright smile on his face and waved at Eve to come with him, back to the cave.

Curious, Eve was quick to help Owen back and ducked into the cave. At the moment, it was only herself and Owen, since the others had gone on a photography exploration. She helped him sit down on his sleeping back and watched in interest as he reached for his backpack. After fishing around in it, he smiled, "Aha!" Here it is!" Owen now pulled a battered bag out and proffered it to her.

She stared at it for such a long time that that Owen's arm got tired. But when she saw him sway, she reached for it, and set the bag in her own lap. Eve ran her fingers over it, not daring to hope for too much. At last, she unzipped the bag and looked down at the camera inside. Gingerly, Eve lifted the precious item out and inspected it. Somehow, miraculously, it was whole. Unbroken. The bag had taken the beating, but the camera was intact. Suddenly, Eve couldn't handle it.

She broke down into sobs. Dropping the camera back into the bag, Eve pulled up her knees to her face and just started crying into her hands. And couldn't seem to stop. She didn't even notice when a warm body slipped beside her. She didn't hear the grunt of pain. She did feel the strong arms around her though and instinctively turned into the shirt and cried into it. Someone softly murmured in her ear but Eve didn't know what the voice was saying over her sobs.

At last the rubbing and warmth calmed her down and she stopped sobbing so much. Eve still hitched a breath now and then, but she was much calmer. Now she could hear Owen's whispers, "It's okay. You're okay, Eve. You're okay."

Gasping for breath, Eve looked up and wiped her tears away with a rough hand. "M...my… my camera. H...how?" she tried to ask.

Giving a sympathetic smile, Owen shrugged. "I don't know. We found it still in the plane on the other side. It got hung up on one of the broken posts. How you survived that was… a miracle. How  _that_  made it out without even a scratch was… I don't even know how to explain it."

Eve had a faint smile as she picked up the camera again and examined it. She tried to turn it on, but the batteries had long since been dead. However Owen told her, "Ask Emma. She might actually have something that works in that. Whenever they get back that is."

"Okay," was all Eve said. Then she had to laugh weakly, "I'm sorry for getting your shirt all wet!" She tried to brush it off with a teary giggle.

Looking down at his shirt, Owen chuckled too, "Oh that's alright. I'm useful for something then!" He grinned at her and snorted when Eve pushed him in a friendly manner. Going more serious, Owen told her, "This talk. It was good for you. You needed to work through the emotions. I know it's hard. And very tough. No one wants to face the real thing. But you're starting to. And that's good. I'm proud of you."

Flipping her hair over to one side, Eve snapped her eyes up onto Owen's. "Really? I'm glad. I'm alright. Or… I should say… I'm on the way there." Deciding that this was enough emotions for one day, Eve changed the topic. Blocking was much easier than facing the memories. And she had faced some. But right now it was time to drop it for today.

Turning to him with a smile, she suggested, "Should I go look for the others? See that they didn't go and get themselves lost, or in a gully somewhere, or drown themselves, or got themselves run over?"

Now Owen laughed heartily. This was Eve back again. He pushed at her playfully this time, and nodded to the cave opening. "Why don't you go check? I'm fine in here. I'll just wring myself dry." He winked at her.

Snorting, Eve stood up at last, placing the camera next to Emma's sleeping bag to remind herself about the battery, and wiped her face again. She took a tissue from Owen to blow her nose then left the cave.

Going down to the Brach Meadow, Eve looked around for the rest of the team. Shrugging when she didn't see them, she wandered down to the other meadow nearby. She was sure they were there. Taking a shortcut down the steep slope where she once helped the raptor pack overturn the Clubtail, Eve bounced on her feet at the bottom.

She saw the back of Shane and went wicked. Creeping up silently, Eve made her way to him. He was focused on the herd of Triceratops in the distance that he did not notice Eve's approach. Then a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder hard, the nails digging in. Not thinking at all, Shane jumped up and screamed. Then turned to see Kyle and Emma laughing their faces off and Eve standing there with a smirk on her face.

"You… you scared the daylights outta me!" Shane accused as he got his heart back into his chest. But he smiled. She was just playing around with him, and he liked that she was comfortable enough to do so.

"And I've never seen a human jump so high," She shot back with a grin. "What are you doing?"

Kyle was still laughing but he pointed, "We were just taking some shots of the family group of Triceratops. And taking a bunch of notes. How's Owen?"

Eve nodded and reassured him, "He's fine. Taking a rest. I just came out to see you hadn't killed yourself yet."

Shane grumbled, "Yeah, and scaring me to death doesn't help things." He got a swat and a push from Emma for that sarcastic comment and grinned at her. He was about to say something else when a bellowing caught their attention.

Looking around, the group focused back on the herd in curiosity. The animals looked startled and confused all of a sudden. Finally, the reason emerged: a cow triceratops was doing all the bellowing. Shane frowned, studying her. "What's the matter with her? They don't normally make that noise do they? She's not in heat is she, Eve?"

"No, she isn't," Eve replied. This was curious indeed. Female trikes did not generally bellow. The males did. She watched the cow's every moment with a sharp eye. They could see her stagger a little bit and bellow, spooking the nearby animals. Finally the cow seemed to have enough. She tried to charge the lead male, who backed away in surprise. She turned and caught another young male with her horns and managed to overturn him. He made a honking noise as he went over, scrambled up, and rushed away from her.

Emma pointed out, "That is… definitely not normal. Why is she attacking the males?"

But Eve had sighed and put her face in both hands, rubbed her eyes in a stressed manner, and then watched the dinosaur with weary eyes. "I know why. When she turns around, look at her left hind leg."

Shane squinted to see what Eve was talking about. Then his eyes widened as he realized exactly what happened. "She's been bitten by a predator."

Even looked back at him and nodded, "Yes, she has. And that looks to be the right size bite…."

Shane groaned and slapped his forehead. It did look to be the right size, that was true. The image of the dead Ceratosaurus flashed into his brain. "That Triceratops female is infected."


End file.
